Harry Potter and the Lightning Lord
by Colt01
Summary: This is smart! Powerful! Ravenclaw! Harry; How would the wizarding world react to a Boy Who Lived who is much different from what they expected? One that is set to change the course of the magical world forever? Grey Harry; Manipulative! Dumbledore; Harry/Daphne
1. Chapter 1

**HARRY POTTER AND THE LIGHTNING LORD**

AN: We see in canon that Voldemort and Dumbledore and smart and very powerful wizards. So why can't Harry be the same? This is a slight super-Harry. Most super Harry fics are where he is ultra-powerful for no reason, is the heir of Merlin or gets trained by the founders. This isn't such a story, so I'll try to keep it as realistic as possible. Ah, the irony!

Warning: This is a Dumbledore bashing story. Dumbledore is manipulative (as per canon, at least according to me). I believe that Dumbledore could be shown either way - as a wise old man who did things because he was the leader, trying to save his society; or the man who believes that what he does is always done for the Greater Good (the term is relative. We don't know about the greater good of whom). This story follows the latter. This is a Harry/Daphne story. For those who don't like this pairing or don't like Dumbledore to be portrayed this way, I'm not sure if you'll like this. This is my first attempt at fanfiction so please be kind. The first few chapters are short, but I have increased the chapter length later on. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. IT BELONGS TO JK ROWLING.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Chapter 1

A house elf popped into the large room and opened the curtains and windows to let the sunlight in. He then proceeded to the bathroom to fill the tub with water and keep all the toiletries where they were needed and popped out of the room. An eleven-year-old boy sleeping on a large four poster bed flinched as the sunlight hit his face. He stretched and slowly got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom to finish his morning chores. He then came out and went out to the balcony to look at the view outside. Watching the landscape around Potter Castle always soothed him. He then went inside, wore a pair of track pants and running shoes. This was a daily ritual for the young boy, as he ran around the property that was around the magnificent castle. After an hour of exercise, he went back to his room for a bath. As he relaxed, the boy, Hadrian Potter, better known as Harry, started thinking about how he ended up where he was.

 _Flashback_

Harry Potter was a weird child. That was the consensus among everyone in Privet Drive, Surry. The people of the neighbourhood were told by the Dursley family that the boy was orphaned due to the car crash that killed his drunken bum of a father and his whore of a mother. Seeing the child in ragged clothes and listening to the stories sprouted by Petunia Dursley, they believed him to be a delinquent. But no one knew the real story that went on inside Number Four, Privet Dive. No one knew that Harry Potter was verbally, emotionally and physically abused there. They all thought that Vernon and Petunia Dursley and their son Dudley the perfect family. How wrong they were.

Since he was very young, Harry Potter knew that he was different. He could remember all his experiences and recall them with perfect clarity. He could remember information in books with complete recollection. Because of this, he was also a very smart child. But as much as he tried, he couldn't remember his life before his second birthday.

He also knew that strange things happened to him. Things his relatives called 'freaky'. He really hated that word. His relatives called him nothing but 'boy' or 'freak'. His bedroom was a small cupboard under the stairs. Since he was three years old, he was ordered to weed the garden or clean the house. The fact that he was so little, that he was a baby was lost to the so called adults. He was given a meager amount of food while his fat whale of a cousin could eat as much as he liked. Harry was also hated by his relatives because he could speak fluently and could read while their precious Diddykins could not.

But that's when the trouble started. When he started school at the age of four, he was given Dudley's cast offs for clothes. When he started school, the school teacher started the roll call. When she asked for Harry Potter, the boy, who until then didn't know his name suddenly had a recollection where he answered and said that his name was Harry. How he knew this, he didn't know. But he knew he would be in trouble with his aunt and uncle. And he was right.

And that's when the beatings began. Uncle Vernon was furious that the freak knew his name without them telling him. He was beaten and locked the cupboard for two days without food. It was during this time that Harry started meditating. He saw it briefly when his aunt was flipping through the channels on the telly. He wanted to find out what happened to his parents and how he ended up in this hell called the Dursley Residence.

Over the next couple of years, the strange things continued. The hair of the teacher who was yelling at him turned blue, and he had no idea how that happened. Once, when Dudley and his gang were chasing him, for their game of Harry Hunting, he ended up on the school roof with no knowledge of how he got there. When his Aunt Petunia shaved him bald, except for a small fringe to cover his scar on his forehead, it miraculously regrew itself overnight. And of course, after every beating, his bones would be healed the next day.

But the beatings only increased. Harry was blamed for everything that went wrong. He was slapped if he had a sad face as Dudley didn't want to be around a sad person. He was beaten badly if he ever dared to smile. So Harry learned to control his emotions. He used his meditation techniques he'd been practicing for the last few years to control his facial expressions to keep a blank face. So people started calling him a robot. But what people didn't know was that Harry started recollecting memories from when he was a baby. He didn't know what to think about this new revelation. His parents were magical. They were murdered. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't run away. He didn't fancy living on the streets. So he spent most of his free time at the library as Dudley would never enter the place. He thought he could bear it for some more time, and hope that the people he had seen in this memories would come for him. But then everything changed a month before his seventh birthday.

Uncle Vernon was hosting dinner for his boss and his wife. He was looking for a promotion. Harry was ordered to stay in this cupboard and not make a sound. But what Vernon and Petunia didn't know was that Harry had started experimenting with magic since he found out about it almost a year earlier. He started small like levitating things in his cupboard. It was initially very hard, but he persevered. Since that incident where he appeared on the school roof, he started experimented with disappearing and appearing somewhere else. He had only been able to manage that particular feat two weeks earlier. He found out that he could also sense when someone was lying to him (the Dursleys gave him good practice for that one as they always lied about his family). This time, he was furious. He was locked in the cupboard for a week and was starving. He decided that revenge was in order, damn the consequences.

When Mr. and Mrs. Mason arrived, they sat in the living room. Uncle Vernon was busy flattering them and praising his son. Harry was inside the cupboard, eyes closed and concentrated on what was happening outside. He then pushed with his magic, hoping it would work. And it did! Dudley farted loudly. The living room was silent. Petunia turned pale. Before she could do anything Vernon farted too, and a wet lump formed in his pants. His face became purple but the Masons decided that they would visit another time and left hastily just as Petunia too farted loudly.

Vernon's face turned red. He knew who was responsible for this. And that freak was going to _die_ today and damn the consequences. He opened the cupboard. "What have you done you freak?" he bellowed. "I will not tolerate your freakishness in my house any longer! You have gone too far this time!"

He took out his belt and pulled the little boy out of the cupboard. "Today I'll end your miserable existence you freak", Vernon whispered. He started hitting and kicking the small boy with as much force as he could muster. He took his belt and started whipping him. Harry screamed, but Vernon punched him so that his nose broke and a few teeth fell out. He broke Harry's arms and legs and started choking him.

"You will learn your lesson you freak. You are nothing but a useless waste of space. We should have left you in an orphanage after your useless parents died. It's time you learned your place boy!"

Harry started fighting back. He couldn't breathe. He concentrated on his magic and the resultant force pushed Uncle Vernon to the wall. Enraged, Vernon took a kitchen knife on the counter and rushed towards the boy. Harry panicked but the movement caused the knife to impact his stomach. Blood poured out the wound. His vision went blurry and he banked out.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Vernon panicked. Had he truly killed the boy? He felt for a pulse, but in his haste and panic, he couldn't find one. He took the boy and stuffed him back in the cupboard. He would have to decide what to do before the freaks realised what had happened. As he turned, he looked at the horrified face of Petunia. He convinced her that it was for the best and that they could get rid of the boy. He went to get changed so that they could dispose of the body. Petunia hastily decided to clean the blood stains on the floor, before Dudley or anyone else could see them. Twenty minutes later, an explosion rocked the house. The cupboard under the stairs was destroyed, and the boy had disappeared!

High in the sky above North America, a thunderbird was enjoying himself in a storm he created. Suddenly, he felt a pull, towards a certain wizard. This confused him, as he had never heard of a bond he had formed with a wizard. No thunderbird in history had! But he could sense pain and distress from the young boy. He was also on the brink of death. He concentrated on where his home was and where he was to be taken. Mind made up, the large bird disappeared with a flash of lightning, and appeared with another flash above Privet Drive. With another flash of lightning and a strong burst of thunder, the boy and the thunderbird disappeared.

The thunderbird used his magic to detect a safe place for the young wizard through the house elf bonds connected to the boy. With a snarl, he appeared in the courtyard of Potter Castle. He was angry. He may not have yet understood why he felt a bond with his wizard, but harming him made him furious. Several elves popped next to the majestic bird and approached him with fear. He noticed the nearest elf and looked into its eyes and communicated what had happened.

The elf gasped "It's Master Hadrian! He be hurt!" she exclaimed. The other elves gasped, and one of them came up and looked at him. "Master be hurt very badly. Tippy needs help if we are to save Master's life!" The others agreed and they transported the young boy to the castle's ward room. The ward room was a large room where the primary ward stones were kept. Potter Castle was built on the merging of two major magical lay lines, thus creating a powerful concentration of magic. The elves placed him on the floor and drew Elvin runes around him. Wizards and Witches really underestimated house elves. They had their own brand of magic. They knew they had to act quickly. They performed a diagnostic ritual and were appalled at the stage of their young master. Hadrian's arms and legs were broken, his face was puffed up, nose broken, had a concussion, a stab wound in his stomach, a large block on his magic and worst of all, a soul fragment lodged in his scar. The elves knew they had a lot of work to do. Eighteen elves surrounded Harry and began chanting, while the large thunderbird watched. A storm raged on outside the castle, rain pouring down with lightning flashing. As the elves started chanting, slowly Harry's body began to heal itself. The ancient castle, a stronghold of magic, started pumping magic into its Lord, ensuring his survival. The wounds healed, the block on his magic slowly came undone. By now, the elves were exhausted. Another batch of eighty-one elves took over. They knew that getting that soul piece out without killing their Master Hadrian would be very difficult. But they had to try. They started chanting. Harry looked like he was having a seizure. He started screaming. The scar on his forehead looked red hot, but the elves continued, their volume increasing. After almost fifteen minutes of screaming and thrashing about the scar burst open and a black mist ascended in the air. The thunderbird screeched and let out a powerful bolt of lightning. The mist screamed and exploded. Harry gasped and fainted, as did several of the house elves. No one realised the unintentional battle of wills that Harry had won against Voldemort's soul. This would lead to Harry gaining a great gift that no one realised until much later.

Far away in Scotland, in a castle similar to where Harry was, a silver instrument monitoring the Horcrux inside Harry's head exploded. The blast destroyed the other instruments, one monitoring the wards around Private Drive, and the tracking charm which used Harry's blood. Albus Dumbledore, who was attending an ICW conference in Japan, would not realise until it was too late. By then he would be helpless to do anything about it.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry woke up with a blinding headache. His body ached all over too. He tried to remember what happened but for the life of him, he couldn't. It felt like he was sleeping on a soft bed, he knew there was no bed in his cupboard. Slowly, he started meditating and the activities of the night flashed before his eyes. The starvation, his intense anger, the prank he pulled on the Dursleys, and how Uncle Vernon had tried to murder him. He stiffened in panic. He slowly opened his eyes and gasped. He was sleeping on a large four poster bed. The room he was in was huge! Beautiful wooden flooring and large windows adorned the walls. The room was decorated in red and silver colours. The room was majestic. Harry could not help but gape at the beauty and wealth of the place. Just as he was about to get up, he heard a crack and saw a creature; it was unlike anything had seen. It was short and had big green eyes and was wearing a dress made of scrap fabric. It had large ears and Harry could not help but jump back in shock. Something in his mind said that he knew what the creature was, but he couldn't get the words right.

"Master Hadrian is awake! How are you feeling sir? Should Tippy get you anything?" squeaked the house elf excitedly.

Subconsciously, Harry remembered what the creature was. It was a house elf. A magical species who loved to serve. Harry was confused on how he knew that. He knew it wasn't because of his eidetic memory, as he could not recall ever learning about house elves. He put that aside for now.

"Ahm, hello to you Tippy. Can you tell me where I am?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Master is in Potter Castle, the ancestral home of the Potter family. How are you feeling Master Hadrian? Tippy and the other elves be very scared and worried" replied the elf.

Harry swallowed his nervousness. Potter Castle? What was going on here? He took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. His headache didn't make anything easier, he thought. "I'm fine now Tippy. Can you tell me what happened? How did I come here? How long have I been here?" he asked her.

Tippy looked down to the floor as tears welled in her eyes. "Master Hadrian arrived three days ago. Master's thunderbird friend brought you here. You were badly injured sir, close to death. The elves used our magic to heal young master. You has been unconscious ever since" said the elf tearfully.

Harry took a deep breath and exhaled. Thunderbird friend? He was really confused. "Please thank all the house elves for saving my life, Tippy. I'm sorry to bother you, but can you please show me to the bathroom? I want to take a bath" he asked her.

The elf looked shocked. "Master Hadrian not be bothering Tippy at all! Tippy lives to serve the Potter family! I will prepare a bath for you Master" she said and popped out.

Harry slowly got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He didn't know what was going on, but he was certainly going to find out soon.

 _End flashback_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry got dressed for the day. Today would be an important day as his Hogwarts letter would be arriving soon. He had been preparing for this moment for the last four years. He was finally ready. He wore a set of expensive robes for the day as he planned to go to Diagon Alley later. He descended down the stairs and proceeded to the castle's dining room. The elves had prepared his breakfast which was waiting for him on the table. Having his fill, he proceeded to the Lord's study. He really loved the place. It was a large room with a mahogany desk, comfortable chairs and books and rich paintings and objects surrounding them. It gave an air of confidence and displayed the power of the Potter family.

"Good morning Hadrian. I hope you slept well?" asked the portrait of Charlus Potter, Harry's grandfather from his frame about the fireplace.

"I slept well, Grandfather. Good morning to you too Grandmother" he said to the portrait of Dorea Potter nee Black.

Just then, Toby, Harry's personal elf popped in. "The letter has arrived, Master Hadrian" he said in a calm voice. Harry took it and gave a small smile and thanked the elf. Like him, Toby did not show much emotion and Harry liked it that way. He looked at the letter.

 _Mr. Hadrian J Potter_

 _The Master Bedroom,_

 _Potter Castle,_

 _Sherwood Forest, Nottingham,_

 _Nottinghamshire_

He opened the letter. He had been accepted and had to send a reply. He wondered for a minute how Dumbledore would have reacted when he saw the address. He shrugged. He didn't want to think about that now. He had other important stuff to do today. Besides, the old man was bound to try something when he arrived at the school anyway.

He took the letter and concentrated. His dark hair lightened till it was blonde. His eyes changed from bright green to blue. His face changed so that no one would ever recognise him as Harry Potter. Harry was a metamorphmagus. Though only a partial one, though. He couldn't change his height or body density. He could only change his facial features and hair colour. Still, he was very grateful to have been born with the trait. His status as the Boy Who Lived and as an international celebrity meant he couldn't go out in public without creating a storm. He snorted, not that they had a good description of his actual looks either. Boy, were they in for a surprise soon.

He took a piece of parchment and quill, wrote down his reply to be sent to Professor McGonagall. He called Toby and told him to post it only later that night. He didn't want people searching for him in Diagon Alley.

He went to the Entrance Hall, calmed himself and kept his face emotionless. He walked to the fireplace, took a pinch of floo powder and said "Diagon Alley". Green flames enveloped him. A couple of seconds later, he landed gracefully out of the fireplace. With a flick of his fingers, the soot vanished, and he proceeded down the Alley towards Gringotts.

When he entered the bank, he bowed to the Goblin guards at the entrance of the doors and went down the hall to a teller.

"Greetings Master Goblin, I'm here for an appointment with Lord Rangok. Please inform the esteemed Director that his client has arrived", Harry said to the teller in perfect Gobbledegook, startling the other witches and wizards in the bank.

The elderly Goblin gave Harry a toothy grin and called for another goblin to show him to Rangok's office. Harry followed him and entered an office. It was large and there was an old, yet scary looking goblin sitting at the desk. He motioned for Harry to take his seat.

"Greetings Lord Rangok" he greeted to the warrior.

"Greetings to you as well Lord Potter. I have gone through the contract with fine detail, and I'm sorry to say that it's unbreakable. It was created nearly two hundred years ago by your great-great grandfather William Potter and Steffen Greengrass. It explicitly states that in case either family does not have a male heir, only then would the marriage contract be enacted. As you know, Lord Cyrus Greengrass does not have a male heir. So the marriage contract between you and Heiress Daphne Greengrass cannot be broken. Both families have immense wealth and political power. This contract was established keeping in mind the friendship between the families and the fact that the wealth won't pass on to the wrong hands."

Harry sighed. He had hoped he could avoid this, but he had held out little hope. Unfortunately, he couldn't even blame William Potter for the contract, as it was created soon after the Potter Massacre as it was called. A son of the Potter family felt it was his right to get the lordship, so he descended into the dark arts, and with outside help, eliminated all the branches of the Potter family. But he wasn't successful in eliminating the main line as the large group of wizards with him couldn't get past the ancient war wards around Potter Castle. He had been killed of course, along with the others (the families who had secretly helped the rebel Potter found they were destitute a few months later, and they disappeared, never to be heard from again). To ensure that the family's enormous fortune to not be misused in case something like that happened, he and Steffen Greengrass had created a contract which protected both their families. Now, nearly two centuries later, the contract came into effect.

Harry went to his trust vault and withdrew a few thousand galleons. He knew it was a lot of money, but his birthday was coming in a few days and he wanted to splurge a little. Besides, he was the Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. He had to behave according to his status.

He went to Flourish and Blotts and picked out the necessary First-year books. He had finished them all of course, but he needed them for school. He sneered when he looked at the Boy Who Lived books at the other end of the store. Apparently, the public or the Ministry hadn't been informed about his disappearance four years ago. He didn't particularly care for that title, but he knew that it couldn't be helped. Harry reinforced his Occlumency shields and the emotionless mask was back in place. He finished buying all the necessary books and paid for them. He took the shrunken package and moved to the next shop. He bought an Advanced Portions Kit. Really, he was no amateur.

Harry turned to the shop selling magical trunks and entered the shop.

"Hello, sir. What kind of trunk are you looking for?" a fat man asked.

"I'm looking for a seven compartment trunk complete with room size compartments please" he replied.

The owner had a look of shock on his face. Those trunks were very expensive and he couldn't ever remember a first year wanting one. But he looked to be dressed in expensive clothes, so he decided to oblige.

"This is the best trunk we have. Seven compartments as asked for, all room size to be customized to your preference, it comes with a shrinking charm as well as feather light charm. There are several wards to prevent theft as well as password protected. The price is 1648 galleons" he said.

Harry inspected the trunk closely. He was a very private person and he didn't want people looking through his stuff. Once satisfied, he said, "I'll take it."

The owner looked overjoyed, and immediately took out a new trunk and gave it to Harry. He paid for it and left. He moved up the ally to Madam Malkin's and bought all his school robes made of fine silk.

He entered Eeylop's Owl Emporium and looked around. He needed a personal owl. He looked around until he spotted a beautiful snowy owl. Harry stared into its eyes and the owl stared back. Slowly, he took the cage down and paid for it. He decided to name her Hedwig.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After having lunch at one the best restaurants in the alley, Harry then proceeded to buy the rest of his things at various shops and systematically called an elf to take them back home. Finally, it was time for his wand. He had been looking forward to this for a long time. He ducked into a side alley next to Ollivander's shop and morphed back to his original appearance. He didn't want anyone to know of his powers. Harry was nothing if not careful. He truly believed that knowledge was power.

He entered the shop and immediately felt a presence to his left. He stayed calm. His grandmother's portrait had informed him about the old wand maker's habit of creeping people out by sneaking up on them.

"Good afternoon Mr. Ollivander" he said to the shocked old man. But the wand maker recovered quickly.

"Ah yes. I thought I would be seeing you soon Mr. Potter" he said. He then gave a small speech that described his parents' and Voldemort's wand. He then pulled out a long tape measure. "Which is your wand arm?"

"I'm ambidextrous sir" Harry replied. It was true. When he had first started school, he used to favour his left hand. But the teacher repeatedly rapped his knuckles so that he would use his right hand. The Dursleys had just used this as an excuse to beat him up and starve him as they called it freaky. Once he escaped his tormentors, he decided to practice writing and magic with both hands. So far, he had been very successful at it.

"Oh ho, this is a surprise. Hold out your arms then please" he said. The wand maker measured him and explained about his wands. "Right then, let's try this shall we? Beechwood and Dragon Heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just give it was wave".

He tried one wand after another, but Ollivander snatched them all back. Harry was getting a little restless as it had been more than an hour, but he was patient. He knew Ollivander was searching for something.

"Tricky customer, huh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match for you. Hmm. I wonder, an unusual combination. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple"

Harry took the wand. And he immediately knew it wasn't for him. It let out a wailing noise and he all but chucked it back at the old wand maker.

"Curious. How very curious. I expected that wand to be a perfect match for you. You see, the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in that wand, gave another feather. That wand was the one that gave you that scar. Albus was so certain that this would be your wand. No matter, I'm at a loss as you have tried every wand in my shop" said Mr Ollivander.

Harry wasn't ready to give up. He had undergone a lot in his short life and had a lot to prepare for. He wasn't about to be denied a wand! He closed his eyes and spread his magic outward. He sensed a powerful connection from something at the back of the shop. It seemed to be calling out to him. He pulled with his magic and with a bang, a wand came flying out of the back of the shop, right into Harry's outstretched hand. He closed his eyes and felt his magic connect to the wand. Ollivander watched in shock and fascination as Harry glowed in a silver light, and red and silver sparks shot out of his wand illuminating the shop. Slowly, the glow faded, and when Harry opened his eyes, his green orbs were slightly glowing.

Ollivander seemed unable to speak. He stood there for several seconds, staring at Harry. Finally, he seemed to have gathered his wits about him and whispered "Oh dear Merlin, I can't believe it! My dear boy that is a highly unique wand you have there. It wasn't created by me, it was created by my ancestor more than two thousand years ago. It is so unique that wand makers all over the world have come to study it. Some have tried to duplicate it, but the materials are so rare and they could never seem to get it right. I myself have failed at it."

Harry wore a calm expression but on the inside, he was freaking out. "What do you mean Mr Ollivander? What is my wand made of?" he asked.

The old wand maker took a few seconds to reply. "That wand Mr Potter is made from the oldest yew tree known to us. The tree is highly magical and is 5000 years old and can be found in Wales. The core is a Nundu heartstring. A nundu is considered by most as the most dangerous magical creature in existence. It is so powerful that no less than a hundred wizards are needed to subdue it. The wand also has thin strips of nundu fang. It is one of a kind, and perhaps one of the most powerful wands I have ever seen, as it channels the raw power of the wizard better than any other that has passed through this shop. It is 14 inches and rigid. I never thought I would ever sell this wand to anyone. But as I always say, the wand chooses the wizard. I think we can expect great things from you Mr Potter, great things indeed."

Harry was stunned. He never in his wildest dreams expected something like this. He looked at his wand. It was indeed a work of art. It was somewhat light brown, with three strips which he guessed was the fang ivory. There were tiny runes etched on the handle too. He looked up and asked "Thank you, sir. How much does it cost?"

"That will be 49 galleons, Mr Potter"

Harry nodded and paid the price and bought a wand care kit and left the shop. He ducked into a side ally, changed his appearance and hurried down to Knockturn Alley. He had some important business there.

Harry entered Knockturn Alley will an air of supreme confidence. He made sure to keep his hood up. He activated the notice-me-not charm on his silver chain around his neck until he reached his destination. He entered the shop he was looking for.

"I'm in need of a wand using a core which I can provide. Is that acceptable?" he asked as soon as he saw the owner at the counter.

The people in Knockturn Ally were very skilled as well, but since they dealt with shady things, the general public didn't acknowledge them. But Harry had detailed information about the useful shops in the place.

The wand maker looked at him and said, "If the core has a connection with you, I see no reason not to."

Harry took out a box from underneath his robes. The wand maker opened it and looked at the single feather inside it. "A thunderbird feather. They make powerful cores. It's almost unheard of being used anywhere in Europe. Well, let's see which wood suits you so that I can create your wand. Just touch them and pick up the one that you feel is most suited to your magic."

Harry nodded and felt the different woods with his hands. He closed his eyes and pulled, and a jet black piece of wood flew into his hand. "Ebony. This wand would be amazing for all branches of magic, particularly Transfiguration."

"I also require two of your top of the line wand holsters" he said to the wandmaker. Harry paid for them, slipped into the darkness. He touched his Potter ring and portkeyed back home.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 5

Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office at Hogwarts. Just yesterday his friend Ollivander had informed him that Harry Potter had come to his shop to acquire a wand. But it wasn't the wand Albus had foreseen. It was much more powerful. He had also looked at the address on Harry Potter's letter. It was written by a quill enchanted by Rowena Ravenclaw. How did the boy end up in the Potter family's ancestral home? He felt like all his plans were crashing around his ears.

Albus had a beautiful plan. When Sybill Trelawney had given the prophecy that proclaimed the defeat of the Dark Lord at the hands of a baby in his office, he was stunned. But he began to think how he could use this information to his advantage. He figured out a few months later, that there could only be two couples who fit the contents of the prophecy- the Potters and the Longbottoms. But first, he had to leak the prophesy so that Tom would act on it. It was amusing how easy it was. He used the Imperious curse on Trelawney and had Severus Snape hear the first half and relay it to his master. He knew all along the Pettigrew was the traitor of course (he wasn't a master at Legilimency for nothing). The deaths of the members of the Order was sad, but it was all for the Greater Good. Unfortunately, the Potters were being quite stubborn in not moving from Potter Manor. From what little he had seen, the wards there were impressive and he didn't want them there. So he developed a cunning plan and used a few spells to make them move to a place in Godric's Hollow under the Fidelius Charm he had cast. He had placed a compulsion on James Potter and Sirius Black so that they would choose Pettigrew as the secret keeper. Remus Lupin was not an issue. The werewolf was very loyal to him and would obey him as a dog would its master. Sirius Black had acted just as Albus predicted. He let his grief get the better of him and got himself arrested. Convincing Barty Crouch and Minister Bagnold not to give him a trial was simple. After all, Sirius was a Black, and the family was dark. Of course, he had to do something about their will. Since he was a witness he couldn't just destroy it. Messing around with magical wills and contracts were dangerous and he didn't have a death wish. He used his influence as the Chief Warlock to seal the will citing protection. Alice Longbottom had to go too, as she was the godmother of Harry Potter. Besides, the other chosen one, Neville couldn't be allowed to grow up confident and powerful either. He placed young Harry with Petunia knowing how much she hated magic. But there was a problem. Harry was very powerful, even as a baby. He couldn't have that. He was destined to die at the hand of Voldemort (he suspected the boy's scar was a Horcrux so he had to die anyway), so that once again, he, Albus Dumbledore could be proclaimed as the defeater of Dark Lords. He would be as famous as Merlin! If only the love of his life Gellert Grindelwald hadn't been so stubborn. Ruling a country by the use of terror never worked. There would always be people who would rise against you. But he knew the power of manipulation and deceit. After all, he had spent so many years working on his kind, grandfather persona. If they had been together, they both could have ruled the world.

But four years ago, when he came back to Hogwarts after an ICW conference, he found the instruments monitoring Harry Potter destroyed. Panicking, he immediately went to Private Drive. What he discovered angered him. He had really underestimated how much those muggles hated magic. And now Harry Potter could very well be badly injured and could not be traced. Never the less, he contacted the rest of the Order and organised a search secretly, with no luck. He had to make sure that the Ministry of Magic or the wizarding public ever get wind of this. He would probably lose all his influence and power if they knew that he had lost the Boy Who Lived, and worse, allowed him to be abused and almost murdered. He only knew he was alive because the boy's name still appeared in the Hogwarts Book of Admittance.

It was only more than a month later that he discovered that all the items he had taken from the Potter Cottage and not returned to Harry's vault had disappeared. Worse yet, the invisibility cloak he had stolen (not that he would ever admit it) from the house had disappeared too. That cloak had been an important part of his plan. He planned on giving it to Harry as a Christmas gift during his first year. He also wanted to place several tracking and compulsion charms on it so that he could mold Harry into being the perfect martyr for the light. He popped a lemon drop which was laced with a mild calming draught. He was the great Albus Dumbledore, the Leader of the Light. No one escaped his clutches. His plans through disrupted, for now, would continue and the brat would have no choice but to follow his role as a pawn. He would let things rest for now. He would always have control over the board, for he was the ultimate chess master. Hmm, saving the Philosopher's stone would prove to be a good test the boy would it not? He could also hide the stone later and tell Nicholas and Perenell Flamel that it was destroyed during the attack. After all, he worked for the greater good. It was HIM that needed to me immortal.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry climbed up to the top of the tallest tower of Potter Castle and stood at the edge. He closed his eyes and felt his body transform. His body shrunk, and feathers sprouted and his hands transformed into large wings. Harry was an animagus. He was since he was nine. He had looked through the books on animagus transformation in the Potter library and decided that the method suggested was elaborate and not necessary. The human transfiguration method took months or years to achieve. Harry achieved it by using advanced Occlumency and by connecting with his inner animal. The actual transformation was done by pure will and how much the wizard was in tune with his inner animal. Thanks to this, Harry also got some of the senses of his animal. He was a golden eagle, with some magical properties. No witch or wizard to transform into a magical animal, nor could they have more than one animagus form.

Harry took off from the tall tower and started flying. A few minutes later, he heard a rumble of thunder and saw an enormous bird flying next to him. He looked at Aquila, his thunderbird familiar and his heart swelled with emotion. The thunderbird was his only friend. The only one besides his loyal house elves he could count and depend on. Harry dived to the ground and transformed. Aquila too landed next to him. He looked deep into the bird's eyes and proceeded to hug his giant friend. The thunderbird nuzzled his beak into his human friend's body.

Harry remembered the incident as clear as day. When he had arrived at Potter Castle four years ago, the elves had taken him to meet the huge thunderbird which was resting on the grounds of the castle. Harry was shocked to see such a large and scary creature until he heard a voice inside his mind.

 _Flashback_

"Hello, little one. Don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you." Harry was startled to hear a voice inside his mind. But when he looked deep into the eyes of the bird, he felt that he could trust the creature. It was weird, and unnerving to him. But he gathered his courage and replied.

"Thank you for saving me. If you hadn't come at the right time, I probably would be dead. How is that you knew where to find me? Why did you save me? How is it that we are able to communicate?" he rambled.

The thunderbird explained to him that he sensed danger and that he felt a connection with him which had guided him to Private Drive, and brought him to a place he sensed had house elves bonded to him. The mighty creature had explained that Harry was an unusual wizard, and the bond between them was very strong, the proof was the fact that they could communicate, something which was alien to both the magical bird and the wizard. Harry then slowly approached the creature, to touch it. And that was the start of a beautiful friendship between the two.

 _End Flashback_

After the incident, Harry had then spoken to the elves and the portraits of his ancestors. They explained to him that the Potter family was very old, dating back to more than two thousand years. They explained about the various wars, about history and magic. Harry absorbed everything like a sponge. When the elves told him about the soul piece he had in his scar, he suddenly had a vision where he was pointing his wand at a baby. A green curse shot out of his wand, rebounded after touching a shield and ripped him in two.

This was when Harry realised that during the ritual, he had somehow accessed Voldemort's memories. They weren't active memories, but ingrained into his subconscious mind. He could perform spells and prepare potions after just learning them once as his subconscious mind had already assimilated all the knowledge. With Voldemort's memories in his subconscious mind and his advanced memory, Harry was very knowledge for his age. By the time he was eleven, Harry was almost finished with the third-year books on magic.

He was also taught pureblood culture and etiquette and the family history and finances by his painted ancestors. This was very important and Harry was the Heir Apparent of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and had to take his Wizengamot seat when he turned seventeen. He also decided to learn muggle martial arts under a Sensei in Nottingham. So as his eleventh birthday approached, Hadrian James Potter was ready to step into the wizarding world actively.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Harry got up on the day of his birthday and let a small smile show on his face. Back when he was at the Dursleys, his birthday was never celebrated. He had asked Aunt Petunia about it and had received a major whack to his head with a hot frying pan. So he never knew when his birthday was until he was wished Happy Birthday on July 31st four years ago by his delightful house elves. He had been stunned and couldn't help but shed a few tears. Harry always controlled his emotions, having been a necessity earlier rather than a personal choice as it was now, but the devotion of the house elves, the portraits of this ancestors and Aquila had moved him deeply. But today wasn't like any of this other birthdays. Today was the day he would become _The Potter._ After today, Albus Dumbledore would find it near impossible to control him through legal means.

He got up, finished his chores and dressed for the day in red and silver robes, the Potter family colours. He walked down the marble staircase, just as many of the portraits wished him. He knew the routine, so immediately entered the entrance hall and stepped outside. He walked on the path created in the middle of the lush, beautiful gardens for several minutes until he reached the lake. All the two hundred of the family's house elves shouted "Happy birthday Master Hadrian" as he approached them. Harry smiled and thanked them and told them to enjoy themselves. He had understood over time that house elves as a species loved to make merry as much as they loved to work.

Harry watched as his thunderbird familiar slowly landed next to him. He heard Aquila's voice inside his mind, " _Happy Birthday little one. I can sense today is an important day. The decisions you make from this day onward is going to shape you for life. Don't bow down to anyone, but at the same time listen to the wise and people who truly care about you. And don't ever forget that I'm always here by your side_."

Harry's eyes welled with tears as he hugged the giant bird. " _I know Aquila. I wouldn't even be where I am if not for you. I am about to take on the duties and responsibilities of my family today. As much as I think I'm ready and willing, I also wish I could be a regular eleven-year-old boy. But whatever the case, today is my birthday and I'm going to enjoy it. Later today, you and I are going on a long flight_ ", he said and grinned.

After breakfast, Harry walker deep into the castle, and entered the ward room. The last time he had been here, he had been fighting for his life. He took a deep breath and entered the ritual circle. He looked at the Potter Crest directly in front of him. It was a large rectangle which was painted deep red, where two silver griffins faced each other, and between them was a golden shield with two swords and a large red 'P' at the centre. He read the family motto below the crest, " _Natus Vincere",_ which translated to " _Born to Conquer."_

"I, Hadrian James Potter, Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, do hereby swear by wearing this ring to uphold the values and traditions of my family. As Lord Potter, I swear to bring back my family's honour and strive for the betterment of my magical brethren. This I swear, so mote it be!"

Harry closed his eyes as the family magic swirled around him. It judged him to see if he was worthy, and after what seemed like an eternity to him, the silver and red aura around him settled into his skin. The Lord's ring appeared in his right ring finger and the heir's ring disappeared from his left ring finger. He slowly opened his eyes and took deep breaths. He could feel the wards around Potter Castle and now also had information pertaining to the various other properties as well. Any important, secret information which was only ever shared from one Lord Potter to the next settled into his mind. He looked at the ring. It was made of Platinum and had a large red diamond with the Potter crest visible on the stone with immaculate detail, something which would be impossible without magic.

Harry was now the Lord of the Potter family. He had used an ancient law that had been enacted by the Wizengamot and was also mentioned in the Potter family Charter. If the heir of an Ancient family was the last of the line, he could claim his headship on his eleventh or fourteenth birthday and be considered as an emancipated minor. Albus Dumbledore was no longer his magical guardian. He could not legally use his influence to make Harry bend to his wishes. But this was only the first step. But for now, he had to go to Gringotts. He had a certain Will to read.

Harry spent the next month studying and training rigorously but also spent time flying with Aquila. By September the first, Hadrian Potter was ready to take on the magical world.

Harry got ready on the first of September and made his way to the floo. He had sent Hedwig ahead as he knew she wouldn't like to be caged for several hours during the journey. He knew how it was like to be locked up as it brought back painful memories of his time at the Dursleys.

He traveled to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters by floo and found an empty compartment. He was quite early and there were not many people on the platform. He took out a book on Runes, one of his favourite subjects, and started reading. He knew it was going to be a long journey, and probably an annoying one.

Just before the clock struck eleven, a group of red heads entered the station. Harry shook his head. He had researched about them of course. They were very poor and were considered Blood Traitors by many of the old families. And they worshiped Albus Dumbledore as the second coming of Merlin and were staunch Gryffindors. Lord Rangok had informed him that Dumbledore had tried to create a marriage contract for Harry with the youngest Weasley girl. Thankfully he was unsuccessful because the Potter family Charter prohibited a non-Potter guardian from doing so.

Just as the train started moving, there was a knock on his compartment door and a girl came in and asked, "Hey, do you mind if my friend and I sit here?"

Harry shook his head conveying that he didn't mind. So the girl came in carrying her trunk. With her came a beautiful girl with long dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Daphne Greengrass stepped out of the floo at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters with her parents Cyrus and Elizabeth Greengrass, their nine-year-old daughter Astoria in tow. This was the moment. She was finally going to Hogwarts. It was nearly time for the train to depart, so she hugged her parents and sister, promised to write to them and boarded the train along with her friend Tracy Davis. Tracy was her only friend. They knew each other since they were children. Daphne had always been a quiet child, preferred to read rather than play. Unlike other girls her age, she also had a huge weight on her shoulders. She was the Heiress Presumptive of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass. And that usually attracted the attention of others as the family didn't have a male heir. Many families would consider it as the best opportunity to get their hands on the massive Greengrass fortune and political influence. One Draco Malfoy came to mind, she thought darkly. That arrogant ponce had the gall to come up to her at a party several months ago and say that he was going to be her future husband and that she should be so lucky as to even be considered for that honour. Unfortunately, money wasn't the only issue. She wasn't vain by any means, but she had to admit that she was stunningly beautiful, even as an eleven-year-old. Her petite frame, showing promise for the future, dark blonde hair that extended to the middle of her back and her deep blue eyes only enhanced her aristocratic features. Thankfully her father was all for her learning some good hexes and curses to protect herself. After all, he didn't want anything to happen to his little girl.

Daphne followed Tracy into a compartment and put her trunk down. She turned to look at the boy who she and her friend were sharing the compartment with. The first thought that flashed through her mind was that he was incredibly cute. He was tall, so probably a third year she mused to herself. He had silky black hair that extended to his shoulders and had the most mesmerizing green eyes she had ever seen. She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. She didn't want to make a fool of herself even before she got to the school. She wanted to create a reputation for herself so that boys would stay away from her. And staring at a boy would not help matters. She was about to lift her trunk to place it on the rack when she heard a voice.

"Please, allow me", said the boy. He flicked his fingers and his wand came sailing out of its holster. He gave his wand a swish and a flick, and her trunk slowly ascended and sat cleanly on the rack above. He proceeded to do the same for Tracy's trunk as well.

"Wow!" said Tracy. "That was non-verbal magic. I didn't know third-year students could do it!" she exclaimed. Daphne too was stunned. She knew how difficult the charm was. She had only managed to levitate a feather and this bloke had managed to levitate a heavy trunk as well as do it non-verbally!

The boy looked amused. "What makes you think I'm a third year, Miss ?"

"Davis. Tracy Davis. Well, you kind of look like a third-year student. Why, am I wrong?" she asked.

The boy extended his hand. Tracy understood and extended her own hand. The boy took it and kissed her knuckles. "Charmed, Miss Davis. But I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm a first year, much like yourself", he said amused.

He looked at Daphne and asked, "And you my fair maiden?", ignoring Tracy's slack-jawed expression.

Daphne schooled her expression to remain impassive, but inside, she was unnerved. Who was this boy? He was handsome, from the look of it, rich, but he didn't look familiar as she had met the heirs of all the noble families. And his voice and stare made her nervous.

"Daphne Greengrass", she said in a cool tone. She thought she saw a flash of recognition in his eyes, but later thought she must have imagined it.

"It's my utmost pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Greengrass", he said in a silky voice. He took her hand, and kissed her knuckles, the entire time without breaking eye contact. Daphne felt her face go warm as she realised he was yet to release her hand. This boy infuriated her! How dare he try to charm her like this? Just as she thought he was going to start flirting with her next like Draco had unsuccessfully tried to do, he resumed his seat and continued reading his book. He didn't even look at her after that.

Daphne sat down in shock, looking at Tracy who mirrored her expression. This guy looked like he was full of surprises. Who was he? Tracy took the plunge. "May we know your name? After all, we're going to be classmates soon" she said hesitantly.

The boy looked up with a hint of a smile (or was it a smirk?) on his face. "James", he said. "James Evans"

Daphne and Tracy looked at each other. There was no way a muggleborn would act like a perfect pureblood heir. So, he must be a half-blood.

The journey continued in relative silence. The food trolley came and went, and they all bought a few sweets to eat. Halfway through the journey, a pest decided to make an appearance.

The door rudely opened and Draco Malfoy decided to give them a visit. He entered and said, "I'm looking for Harry Potter. Have you seen him?" he asked.

Harry didn't bother looking up. Voldemort's memories showed him who he was. This was definitely Lucius Malfoy's son. He was also the son of Narcissa Malfoy nee Black, so they were cousins. He didn't bother to reply. He knew the public's perception of his appearance didn't really match his true looks. According to the books published about him, he was a short boy, who had green eyes, adorned round glasses, had a red lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and looked exactly like his father. But the reality was that he was quite tall for his age thanks to the vigorous exercises he did every day, did not wear glasses, did not have a lightning scar on his forehead (it had thankfully disappeared after the Elvin ritual) and did not look like his father's clone. In fact, he had inherited both his parents' looks as well as high cheekbones from his grandmother, giving him a very attractive, aristocratic face. Thank Merlin he was already betrothed. Speaking of which, Daphne looked quite agitated in Malfoy's presence. He decided to keep a close eye on the arrogant boy. He sent a wandless compulsion on the boy to leave. And Draco immediately left with his two confused goons in tow.

"What just happened? I was so sure that he would harass you again", said Tracy.

"I have no idea", said Daphne. She looked at her smirking companion. "What's so funny Mr. Evans?" she asked coldly.

"Nothing, Miss Greengrass", he said, with a small smile.

The rest of the train ride was peaceful except when Neville Longbottom came in asking if they had seen his toad. Daphne heard her companion tell him to go ask a prefect to summon it for him, accepting Neville's thanks for helping him.

Once it got dark, they took turns changing into their uniforms. If Daphne ever had doubts about whether James Evans was rich, she certainly got her answer. His uniform was made of fine silk. She could see he was wearing a silver chain with small diamonds around his neck and also sporting a pair of dragon hide boots. She could have easily mistaken him to be the heir of an Ancient and Noble house.

The train slowly arrived at the station. They had arrived at Hogwarts.

Harry got out of the train with Daphne and Tracy and followed Hagrid to the boats. They sat together, along with another boy who was as tall as Harry, who introduced himself as Blaise Zabini. The boats moved and they slowly saw the approaching castle. It truly was beautiful. Harry, having grown up in a similar castle, was used to it. But he had to admit the view was spectacular. They met Professor McGonagall who informed them about the four houses and told them to wait quietly. He could see people looking at each other and wondering out loud where the Boy Who Lived was. The youngest Weasley boy kept sprouting off that he had probably arrived already with Dumbledore and that he would be a Gryffindor and his best friend. A bushy haired girl was speaking to herself about the spells she knew. Before they knew it, they were being led into the Great Hall. Before they entered, Harry wandlessly cast a compulsion on McGonagall to read out his correct name. He knew the importance of names in the magical world. It had its own power. That's why Dumbledore had such a large name and people feared to say Voldemort's name, even ten years after his defeat. He did not want to be called as Harry. That name was reserved only for family and friends. Besides, he wanted the public to know how very little they knew about their precious saviour.

The sorting hat finished its song and soon the sorting started.

"Abbott, Hannah" McGonagall called out.

A pink-faced girl slowly ascended the stairs and put on the hat. "HUFFLEPUFF", the hat shouted. The sorting continued, until

"Greengrass, Daphne"

Daphne coolly walked to the stool and put on the hat. A few seconds later, it shouted back "SLYTHERIN"

Harry smirked. This was going to be interesting. Hermoine Granger got sorted into Gryffindor, as did Neville Longbottom. Tracy got sorted into Slytherin as well. Harry observed his peers. There were a few heirs of important families who were allies of the Potters. At least they were when his grandfather was alive. Suddenly, McGonagall called out his name.

"Potter, Hadrian"

Harry calmly walked over to the stool and sat down. He could hear whispers around the hall. 'Is that the Boy Who Lived?'; 'I didn't know his name was Hadrian, I thought it was Harry'; 'He looks nothing like what the books said he would'; 'Where is his scar? I can't see it'; 'He looks so handsome!'

Once the hat was placed on his head, he heard a voice in mind. "Ah, difficult. Very difficult. You are immensely loyal to those who are dear to you. While you may not trust blindly, Hufflepuff would be a good choice. After the way you have handled your life until now, you definitely have traits of bravery and cunning. So you can do well in both Gryffindor and Slytherin. You possess an eidetic memory, Rowena's most prized talent. And you love to read. So Ravenclaw is a yes. Well, I must say, you have astounded me, Lord Potter. Do you have a preference?" asked the sorting hat.

"Ravenclaw please Mr Hat. And don't worry; I'm going to make the dear Headmaster's plans crash and burn. I'm sure you'll love the entertainment", he said.

The sorting hat chuckled, "I'm sure I will. It certainly was fun to watch Albus get riled up. Be careful Lord Potter, the headmaster isn't as light as he portrays himself to be. With that said, good luck. RAVENCLAW"

The entire hall was silent. Then suddenly the table under the blue and bronze banners burst into thunderous applause. No one had ever expected the Boy Who Lived to be a Ravenclaw. The Gryffindors looked like someone had killed their puppy. The Slytherins were neutral, calculating as to how there were so many inconsistencies with regards to the Potter heir. Hufflepuffs were happy regardless. Once the sorting was finished, Dumbledore got up, said a few nonsense words which made Harry roll his eyes. The tables filled up with large plates of food. Harry began to eat and started talking to his year mates. He looked at the Slytherin table and found Daphne watching him with a furious expression on her face. Harry smirked and winked at her and went back to eating his food.

Many thoughts were going through various people's minds, all concerning one Hadrian Potter. Daphne Greengrass couldn't believe how easily she had been tricked by Potter. He had completely made her look like a fool. It was infuriating. When the food arrived, she kept staring at Potter. Suddenly, he met her gaze, smirked slightly, winked at her and went back to his food as if she was just a toy he was playing with. But she would not back down. She would show Potter that she was not to be messed with. Oh yes, she would.

Severus Snape looked the son of his most hated enemy and the girl he was obsessed with (not that he ever realised that). It infuriated him to even look at the brat. How dare he come to Hogwarts? The brat did not look like a clone of James Potter. Oh, he definitely was his son, as he had inherited some of his looks, but he was a lot better looking than James Potter and that made him incredibly jealous. The boy must have done something to the sorting hat. How else would Gryffindor James Potter's son be sorted into Ravenclaw? He knew the brat ran away from home too. He had spent several months looking for the brat on Dumbledore's orders. He would make sure that Harry Potter was taken down a peg or two. Besides, there was no way the son of James Potter could be smart.

Albus Dumbledore was furious. He had asked Minerva to call out the boy as Harry Potter and not use his true name. He knew the power of names, and by not using his given name, his magical aura would not grow to be as powerful. He had wanted to cut down his limbs, little by little starting with his name. That hadn't worked. And now, the pawn had the audacity to be sorted into Ravenclaw! This wasn't part of his plan either. Harry Potter had to be a Gryffindor, charging into danger without backup or plans so that Albus could mould him to be the perfect weapon for the light. But a smart Harry wasn't what he wanted. He had also instructed the youngest Weasley boy to befriend the Boy Who Lived and ensure that he had no other friends. But those plans were now ruined. What to do?

Voldemort sat thinking quietly. Harry Potter was not how he had expected. He learned that the headmaster had lost the boy four years ago after Potter had run away from his relatives' house. So he was vulnerable during the holidays. But he didn't expect it. He knew that the Potter family properties were heavily warded. When he was young and was studying the various pureblood families, the Potter family had intrigued him. They were notoriously secretive and highly mysterious, not to mention immensely old and filthy rich. That was why he had targeted the Potter heir. Wormtail had informed him that the Potter child was performing accidental magic when he was just three months old. So he decided that since the child was very powerful, the prophecy must be about him. So he had attacked and lost his body. But he would get his revenge on the brat. And once he did, he would extract all the secrets of the Potter family. So many people tried to eradicate the family over the last two thousand years. He would be the one to claim that honour. After all, he was Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard of them all. Nothing was impossible for him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Once the feast was over, Dumbledore said something about the third floor which would be the cause of a painful death. Harry snorted to himself. What a thing to say to a group of teenage rebels. He followed the prefect to Ravenclaw tower. The eagle knocker asked a riddle "What is greater than Magic, more evil than killing a unicorn, the poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it, you'll die?"

The prefect said, "You'll have to answer a riddle every time you enter the tower. If you don't know then someone else can come and help you. That way, you learn, see? Can any of you answer it?", she asked.

"Nothing", said Harry.

"Correct. You have a keen mind young one", said the eagle and the door opened, amidst his classmates, gawking at Harry. The Ravenclaw Common room was beautiful. It had high windows and the ceiling was similar to the one in the Great Hall, showing stars and planets. Unlike the other houses, Ravenclaws and Slytherins got their own rooms. They were small, but it was better than sharing your room with others. Harry was grateful for this. He did not like sharing his room. Once the prefect finished her speech, the new students all walked to their respective rooms. Harry entered the one which had his name on it. It was small but looked homely. It had a large window, a four-poster bed, and a desk. It would do.

"Toby", he said.

The elf popped in front of him. "What can Toby do for Master?", he said.

"Can you please increase the size of this room and change the wall colours to red and silver like the one back home?" he asked.

The elf nodded and snapped his fingers. The room expanded into a good size. The walls changed to deep red and silver. He nodded to Harry and disappeared. Harry looked at the room and was happy with it. He took his wand and made a few movements. There was a flash of light and an enormous Potter crest appeared on a wall decorated red. He opened his multi-compartment trunk by hissing in parseltounge. He had been surprised to discover this trait when he had spoken to a garden snake he found in the grounds of Potter Castle. Not that he would ever tell anyone of this discovery. Harry prized his secrets. And he knew the trait was classified as dark. He pulled out a large picture frame from inside his trunk. He took it and stuck it on the wall above his desk with a strong sticking charm. It was a picture of Charlus, Dorea, James and Lily Potter on the day of his parents' wedding. He changed his clothes and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Harry got up early like he always did. He changed into his exercise clothes and took out a tatty piece of parchment. He touched it with his wand and said, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good". The parchment expanded and showed the map of Hogwarts. Harry saw that Dumbledore was still in his office. After browsing for several minutes, he was about to deactivate it, when he saw something which he thought wasn't possible. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. "Well, well, well", he whispered to himself. "Look who I found."

Once he had arrived at Potter Castle four years ago, the elves had begun to recover things that had belonged to the family. There were several items belonging to James and Lily that they had found in the possession of Albus Dumbledore, including the precious invisibility cloak that had been in the family for centuries. That was when Harry had found a tatty piece of parchment. While reading his father's journal, he found out that it was the Marauder's Map. It was quite an incredible piece of magic.

Once his morning exercises were done, he took a bath, dressed in his uniform and made his way to the Great Hall. He sat down at the Ravenclaw table amid stares from everyone in the hall and started eating breakfast. His Head of House, Professor Flitwick came around passing everyone their timetables. He looked at his and smirked. The first class was Herbology with the Slytherins, a perfect time to talk to Daphne. He had Charms and Astronomy with the Gryffindors, Defence against the Dark Arts and Potions with the Hufflepuffs and Transfiguration again with the Slytherins. It was a well-rounded schedule he mused to himself.

Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. "Mr. Potter, the headmaster wishes to speak with you after the classes are over. Please come to my office at 3", he said.

"Of course Professor, I'll be there", he said giving the half-goblin a small smile.

He proceeded to the greenhouses while making small talk with his fellow Ravenclaws. They all wanted to know about him, but he tactfully deflected that line of questioning and changed the subject. Harry spotted Daphne and Tracy and went over to them. Before he could say anything, he was rudely interrupted by a voice. "Are you really Harry Potter?"

Harry turned to look at Draco Malfoy. He was flanked by two thick boys who looked like bodyguards. "I am Hadrian Potter, yes. I think people would have figured it out by now if I had been an imposter" he said. A few people chuckled. The entire class stood silently watching, all curious about the Boy Who Lived.

"This is Crabbe and this is Goyle", he said pointing his bodyguards. "And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there", he said holding out his hand.

Harry shook his hand. "It is nice to meet you Mr. Malfoy. I'm curious as to how you think I'm making friends with the wrong sort as you put it." He looked at Daphne and Tracy who were standing behind him. "Are you referring to the girls behind me? My, my, Lord Greengrass and Lord Davis would be _devastated_ to know the heir of the Noble House of Malfoy's opinion of their families. I wonder what your father would say if he were to hear about this conversation", he said.

Malfoy's face paled and went white as a sheet. He would so be in trouble if his father found out about this. He hastily made a retreat to the other end of the greenhouse. Harry smirked, and the rest of the class realised why Harry Potter was not a Gryffindor. For someone who hadn't been sorted there, he had definitely pulled a move worthy of a Slytherin. He had subtly made life a bit difficult for both Draco and Lucius Malfoy.

The Herbology professor, Pomora Sprout entered and lectured about her subject. And they were instructed to form groups of three and start potting plants in front of them. Harry immediately moved next to Daphne and Tracy. Tracy didn't waste time to start talking to Harry. "So Mr. Evans, we're friends huh?" she said with a grin.

"I don't mind Miss Davis. Please call me Harry. And I wasn't exactly lying when I introduced myself as James Evans. My middle name is James and my mother's maiden name was Evans. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I hope you understand", he said.

"It's fine. Call me Tracy. You don't look anything like what we had all expected. So it was quite a shock. And that was awesome what you did to Malfoy by the way, right Daphne?" asked Tracy.

Daphne didn't reply. She was lost in her thoughts. Hadrian Potter had thrown her for a loop. First, he managed to impress her with advanced magic and his pureblood etiquette, then he managed to infuriate her by fooling her with his identity, and now he had basically smacked Draco Malfoy in the face with his subtlety. He had single headedly ensured that Draco Malfoy couldn't annoy her and this incident would probably stop Lucius Malfoy from mentioning to her father about creating a betrothal contract between the two families. Not that her parents would ever agree to it, she thought with a smile. Harry's voice brought her back to the present.

"It's nice to see you again Daphne. You look a lot more beautiful when you're not glaring at me" said Harry without looking at her.

Daphne narrowed her eyes. "I don't recall giving you permission to use my first name, Potter." She said coldly.

"You didn't? My apologies, Daphne", he said with a smirk. It was so much fun riling her up! For the first time, he was glad that he read a few of his mother's romance novels he had found in his parents' room in Potter Manor.

Daphne's nostrils flared. Tracy had a small grin on her face. No one had managed to get under Daphne's skin so far. Potter had obviously succeeded. As the class ended, they went their separate ways, Harry sending a wink to Daphne before leaving.

The next class was Defence. Harry couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something definitely wrong with Professor Quirrell. His stutter didn't sound natural. And there was something off with his magical aura. Harry could sense great darkness around his head. He would have to look into that. After lunch, it was History of Magic. He didn't bother listening to the ghost. He took out his book on Elementary Warding and started reading. He had come across a wonderful charm a few months back. He could mask the book and its pages so that no one would figure out that he wasn't reading the first year textbooks. It would also give him an avenue to read in most of his classes after he finished his work. Merlin knows he would be bored otherwise. The last class was Charms. Harry smiled as he listened to Professor Flitwick teach them the _Lumos_ light charm. From what he had read in his mother's journals, Flitwick was her mentor when she was pursuing her Charms Mastery. He was also an International Duelling Champion, a title which Harry himself wanted to achieve someday. He already had plans of taking part in the Under-13 Duelling Championship in Paris the next summer. He reminded himself to register for that during the Yule holidays.

Once the class was over, he remained in the classroom while the rest of his classmates moved out. Professor Flitwick came over to him. "Ready to go, Mr. Potter?" he asked.

"Yes sir. Do you have any idea what this is about Professor?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure Mr. Potter. I'm just as curious as you are. I was told to escort you to the headmaster's office. I don't know the reason as the why" he clarified.

Harry knew the reason of course. It looked like his suspicions were confirmed. Flitwick was not one of Dumbledore's lackeys, from the looks of it. In that case, the half-goblin would prove to be a valuable ally, especially considering that he was probably already fond of Harry for being Lily's son. And Harry wanted others to know that Albus Dumbledore had lost his precious saviour. He would start small, but he would make his enemies fall. After all, he was a Potter. And Potters were born to conquer.

"This is highly unusual Professor. Today is the first day of school. I would like you to remain during the course of the meeting if you don't mind sir. After all, according to the Hogwarts Charter, the student's Head of House has to be present during all meetings with the headmaster" he said.

Flitwick frowned slightly but nodded. They reached the stone gargoyle and the Professor gave the password 'Lemon Drops' and the ascended the stairs. He knocked on the door and they heard a voice say "Come in". They entered.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his large desk waiting for the arrival of Harry Potter. He was finally going to get some answers. The wards alerted him that they had arrived. "Come in" he said to them.

He watched as Harry Potter calmly entered the room along with Flitwick. He sucked in a breath involuntarily. Albus hadn't been able to take a close look at the Potter heir at the sorting feast. But now that he was standing in front of him, he saw that he looked nothing like what he had expected. He had expected to find a clone of James Potter with the eyes of his mother Lily. Boy, was he mistaken. The young boy in front of him was quite tall for his age, making him look older than he was. His eyes were bright emerald green, the colour of the _Avada Kedavra,_ he thought with a shudder. His hair was not the messy bird's nest like his father, but was silky, while still a bit messy. His face showed a perfect blend of both his parents, mixed with some of the Black heritage no doubt inherited from his grandmother. High cheekbones, glowing eyes, shoulder length black hair and aristocratic features made him a very handsome boy. Not to mention that his presence seemed to fill the room. He was eerily reminded of the young Tom Riddle.

Albus cleared his throat. "Thank you for bringing young Harry here Flilus. You may go."

"I apologise headmaster, but Mr. Potter requested me to be here. As it was pointed out to me, it is according to the Hogwarts Charter that the Head of House of the student be present for such meetings" he said.

Albus thought for a moment. "Very well. Please take a seat. Would you like a lemon drop Harry?" he asked.

Before Harry could take a seat, they heard a trill. He saw a beautiful phoenix perched close to the desk. Harry approached the bird with a hint of a smile and bowed to the creature showing his respect. The phoenix trilled again, and Harry slowly approached it and started stroking his feathers. "Ah, I see you've met my familiar. Allow me to introduce you to Fawkes. He is a phoenix", said Dumbledore.

Harry inclined his head, saying nothing. He wanted to try the subtle power play and see what would happen. He didn't want the headmaster to take control of the conversation. He sat down in his seat and looked around the office. Dumbledore had yet to say a word. After a few minutes, Dumbledore spoke up, "How have you been Harry?"

Harry cocked one eyebrow but kept his face expressionless. "Just fine, headmaster. And for the record, my name is Hadrian. And I don't recall saying that you could address me by my first name, or rather the shortened version. It would not do the Chief Warlock to be found lacking in etiquette, don't you agree?" he said softly. His voice was soft, but Dumbledore could feel his magical aura pulse when he spoke. It brought back memories of the young Tom Riddle again. He did not like this. Before he could respond, they heard a snarl coming from the other side of the room.

Harry turned and looked at the form of Severus Snape. Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind.

 _"_ _Master, I have important news", said a figure kneeling before him._

 _"_ _What is it Severus?" he asked in a silky voice._

 _"_ _Master, I did what you asked of me. I went to Hogwarts to request a teaching position. While in the Hog's Head, the old fool was in the process of interviewing a divination teacher Sybill Trelawney. At first, it was all nonsense, but then she said in a weird voice, that the One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. Before I could hear more, I was discovered and the barman threw me out."_

 _He looked at the man in front of him. Who had the power to defeat HIM? He was Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard ever. But if this prophecy was true, then he had to eliminate the threat. "You have done well to tell me this Severus. You shall be greatly rewarded for this. For now, bring me Rockwood. I need to confirm this with the Department of Mysteries."_

Harry sat quietly, but his hands and legs were shaking slightly due to the memory he had just watched. It was only due to his natural ability with the mind arts that he was able to clamp down his Occlumency shields to prevent exclaiming in shock. Prophecy? Was that why Voldemort had attacked him?

Dumbledore cleared his throat again. "My apologies Mr Potter. How has life been for the last four years?" he asked, hoping to draw him out.

Harry gave a hint of a smile. "Pretty good, I have to say. Much better than the life I had led until then. You could imagine my surprise to find out that I wasn't a freak as my relatives said, and that I was a wizard. And that my father wasn't a drunk or my mother a whore who died in a car crash, but rather my father was an Auror and my mother an Unspeakable, and they were both murdered by a dark wizard. A lot of information to take in for a seven-year-old child, I can tell you. But I managed. Magic is such a wonderful thing, is it not Headmaster?"

Flitwick was shocked. What was happening here? Minerva had told him that Harry Potter was living with his muggle relatives. From what he had just heard, it looked like the boy had run away from home. And listening to the lies about his favourite student made him very angry indeed.

Albus paled at hearing that. "I see" he said. "May I know how you found your way to one of the Potter properties?" he asked.

Harry smirked. "That is for me to know and you to never find out Headmaster" he said.

Snape snarled again. He had enough of the impertinent brat. "Potter, you arrogant brat! You're just like your father. Thinking the world is beneath you and that you can get away with everything. It looks like you've inherited your father's lack of brains along with his overly large head" he ranted.

The temperature in the room dropped drastically. The magic in the air became very thick. Harry kept his face neutral and said in a low, dangerous voice. "Please keep your pet on a tight leash headmaster. I don't need a Death Eater to tell me about a man who sacrificed his life without hesitation so that he could protect his wife and child. I can just see the headlines in the Daily Prophet tomorrow. Death Eater condemns the memory of a war hero father in front of the Boy Who Lived. What ever would you do?"

Before Dumbledore could reply, Harry got up. "I think we're done here. Thank you for your time Professor Flitwick. I'll see myself out Headmaster" he said and walked out, followed by the small Charms master.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Cyrus Greengrass was sitting in his study in Greengrass Manor, holding a glass of firewhiskey. A piece of parchment was lying on the desk in front of him. He had just come back after a meeting with his account manager at Gringotts. How could his father have not told him about this contract? Then again, his father had died of dragon pox, so mentioning a betrothal contract that might never come to pass would not have been on his list of priorities. How on earth would he explain this to Daphne? He knew that her marriage would likely be a political one, considering that she was the heiress, but he had promised his daughter that she would have the choice in the matter and that he wouldn't force her into it. And now, there was an iron clad contract. He and Elizabeth could try for another child of course, but there was no guarantee it would be a boy. He sighed and drowned his glass just as his wife came in.

"Cyrus, what happened? Why do you look so pale?" asked Elizabeth Greengrass as she approached her husband.

"I'm caught in a bind Lizzie. See for yourself" he said as she handed her the parchment. When she let out a hiss, he realised that she had figured out the problem.

"Normally, I would have been ecstatic to have found out that our daughter would marry the heir of the Potter family. But things aren't as simple. I had promised Daphne that I wouldn't force her into a loveless marriage just for the sake of politics. And now, I have to tell that she is betrothed and that too with the Boy Who Lived, who is probably brainwashed by Dumbledore. And you know that I don't trust that old man. He would probably stick his crooked nose into our family's business. And there is the matter of us getting along with the boy. My father was a good friend of Charlus Potter, but I never knew James, having graduated Hogwarts before he arrived. And his son is a national hero and an international celebrity. How are we going to handle this?" he asked sombrely.

Elizabeth hugged her husband and comforted him. "Don't jump to conclusions dear. Maybe we can stop Dumbledore from interfering in our affairs. And you leave Daphne to me. I'll handle her. You worry about the political ramifications about this. If I remember correctly, the Potters were traditionally a Grey family, though it is now part of the Light faction because of Dumbledore's proxy. The Boy Who Lived being betrothed is going to be big news. Let's keep it under wraps for now. We can offer to meet him during the Yule holidays if possible."

Cyrus sighed and nodded. He prayed to Merlin that it would all work out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Harry was seething. He knew of the rivalry of James Potter and Severus Snape from reading his father's journal. He also knew of the man's friendship with his mother until the end of their fifth year when they ended it when Snape had called his mother a mudblood. While his father had not been a saint, neither had Snape been anything less than nasty. From what he had read, Snape had repeatedly insulted him and his family. James couldn't take the insult to his family lying down. It was what he was taught growing up as a pureblood. So he had retaliated to fight for his family's honour. Once he had explained that to Harry's mother in their sixth year, only then had Lily given James a chance. And the rest was history.

They had started dating in the middle of their sixth year. Dorea Potter had been initially leery about her son dating a muggleborn. Not that she had anything against them, but she was a sticker to magical traditions. She was a Black after all. And muggleborns tended to question many of their traditions and snub many of the older families. But once they had both met, Dorea was taken with Lily's intelligence and her behaviour. Not to mention Lily kept James in line, something she had not been able to do. Once James and Lily had graduated, Dorea, who worked in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable, was able to get her daughter-in-law into the department as well; not that Lily wasn't qualified to get in without her influence, but it certainly helped. But in 1979, Voldemort had decided to strike the Potter family. Charlus and Dorea Potter had been ambushed in Diagon Alley. It took twenty death eaters to bring the couple down and in the end, only five had managed to survive, though badly injured.

And now, he found that _Snape_ had informed Voldemort of a prophecy which had resulted in the Dark wanker hunting down the rest of the Potter family. And he had the _gall_ to insult Harry's father after being the cause of the man's death? Harry took a deep breath. He needed to let off some steam. He looked around at the empty corridor. "Can a Hogwarts elf answer me please?" he asked.

A few seconds later, an elf popped in front of him. "What can Sally do for young master?" she asked.

"Sally is there a place where I can practice magic in private? Without damaging anything?" he asked.

The little elf thought for a few seconds and nodded. "Sally knows just the place" she said, pulling Harry with her.

Harry was bemused, but followed the elf. He walked to the other end of the seventh floor. There was a painting of a man teaching a pair of trolls how to dance. "Master has to think about what room he wants and walk in front of the wall three times back and forth. A door will appear" she said.

Harry blinked in confusion and wondered if she was toying with him. But he did as told. After walking three times in front of the wall, a large metal door appeared. He looked shocked. He opened the door and gasped. There was a duelling circuit with practice dummies. There were also several books relating to duelling. In a corner was another place where he could practice his martial arts. This room was perfect.

"What is this place?" he asked in wonder.

"This be the Come and Go room or the Room of Requirement. It becomes whatever you want and appears in the time of need", she explained. Harry thanked her and the elf popped away.

"Duelling tournament here I come" he whispered to himself as he flicked his wand out of his holster.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, Harry walked into the transfiguration classroom and found a cat on the table. He went closer and started at it. The cat started back with narrowed eyes. Harry could sense that this was not an ordinary cat. He observed more and found spectacle markings around its eyes. This was an animagus; McGonagall to be precise. He smirked at the cat and whispered, "Amazing technique Professor. There is no better way to demonstrate Transfiguration better than an animagus transformation isn't it? I'm impressed" he said to the wide-eyed cat and sat down. Students began to filter in and they took their seats. Once everyone was present McGonagall decided to make her presence known. She jumped from the table and transformed into a human. The class was stunned and immediately started applauding. She turned to Harry. "Five points to Ravenclaw Mr Potter. How did you recognise me?" she asked.

Harry gave a small smile and said "No cat is that well behaved professor. Besides I saw the spectacle markings around your eyes. It wasn't difficult to put the pieces together."

"Well, you managed to do something that generations of first year students haven't been able to do. Well done" she said and started explaining about her subject.

After turning her desk into a pig and back, she explained about her subject and gave them notes. She later handed them all a match and instructed on how to turn it into a needle. Instead of attempting it, Harry just watched the others try and fail. After ten minutes, McGonagall came over and saw that Harry was just watching the other and not doing the work. "Mr Potter what are you doing? I told you to transfigure the match, not watch the rest of the class. Go on, give it a try" she said in a stern voice.

The rest of the class turned to watch the Boy Who Lived point his wand at the match, say the incantation and turn the match into a perfect needle. McGonagall stood there silent for several seconds. She soon recovered and said "Well done, Mr Potter. 20 points to Ravenclaw for getting it right the first time. Now let's see if the rest of you can do it as well" she said as she started moving around the class.

Harry smiled briefly and began helping those near him get the spell right. When Daphne managed to do it without his help, he sent a small but genuine smile at her. Daphne, who was expecting him to annoy her, was confused. So she just gave a hint of a smile and left the class once it was over. After lunch, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs went down to the dungeons for Potions. He sat alone and waited for the dungeon bat to make his dramatic entrance. He wasn't worried. Potions was a subject he took like a duck to water. After all, he had been cooking for the Dursleys every day for a year before he ran away. Besides, with his perfect memory and Voldemort's advanced knowledge in his subconscious mind, it was probably his best subject next to Runes.

Snape barged into the classroom. He began taking the roll call, and as he reached Harry's name, he paused and said softly "Ah yes. Harry Potter. Our new celebrity."

The class was silent. Everyone had heard stories about how mean Snape could be. After he finished calling out names, he began. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of Potion making. As there is little wand waving here many of you would find it hard to believe this is magic. I can teach you how to bottle fame, blew glory, even stopper death-if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

People exchanged glances. Harry kept his face expressionless. "Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. He was asking a NEWT level question. Was Snape really that desperate? "Nothing but stinking up the room. But they are the primary ingredients for the preparation of the Draught of Living Death, a potion taught in sixth year" he said calmly.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "A lucky guess won't save you Potter. Let's try again, where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" he asked.

"Your potions cabinet, or more specifically, the stomach of a goat" he replied.

"Five points from Ravenclaw for your cheek Potter. What is the difference Potter between monkshood and wolfsbane?" asked Snape, his face red with anger.

"Nothing. They are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite" he said coldly.

Snape's face purpled. It reminded Harry of Uncle Vernon. "Well?", he barked. "Why aren't you all writing that down?"

He then set them to mixing a simple potion to cure boils. Harry knowing the steps, started with the process. With advanced knowledge, he skipped a few steps and finished the potion ahead of schedule. But Snape was anything but a person who appreciated talent when he saw it. "Potter! What did you do? Did you think I would be impressed if you cheated on the potion did you? You're so arrogant Potter, just like your father. That's another 5 points from Ravenclaw. You have no subtlety Potter, just as useless and brash as your father. It's a wonder that you can get off the ground with that big head you've inherited from him. Look at me when I'm speaking to you, brat" he snarled.

Harry simply lifted his head and started at the greasy, hook nosed man. Green eyes met black, and suddenly Harry was at the receiving end of a legilemency attack. Snape found shields in the boy's mind. He snarled. There was no way the spawn of James Potter could be well versed in Occlumency at that age. He tried to tear through his shields. But Hadrian Potter was a natural at the mind arts and coupled with Voldemort's experience at the field for more than 50 years had made his mental shields very formidable. So Harry pushed. Snape found himself thrown across the room. The students gasped.

Harry was furious. How dare Snape try to mind rape him? This had gone too far. Harry had planned on letting things settle before taking care of Snape, but looked like the dog couldn't learn new tricks. "How dare you try to mind rape me?" he snarled. "Do you know the punishment for a full legilemency attack on the _Lord_ of a Most Ancient and Noble House? Automatic death sentence. Congratulations Snape, you just got yourself a one way ticket to hell. Enjoy your life for how long it lasts. But I guarantee it won't be for long." Harry waved his wand and all his things went back into his bag and he left the classroom. The rest of the class, not wanting to be near Snape, followed suit. No one noticed Susan Bones sneak off to the Owlery; Or that a beatle seemed to have been perched on the dungeon wall until a minute back.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore was frantic. He had just come back from visiting Severus in the hospital wing. How in Merlin's name did Harry develop such strong Occlumency barriers to keep someone like Severus out? This was not good. Not good at all! The potions master had been caught in the act, against the heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House no less! He had to find Harry, and find him fast. Maybe he could convince the boy that he was mistaken and pin the blame on him. Saving Severus was important. Everything else was secondary.

Said boy was standing in front of a large house in an affluent neighbourhood of London's suburbs. He had to prepare if he were to come out on top. He entered the property and knocked on the door. A beautiful woman who seemed to be in her late thirties opened the door. "May I help you?" she asked, eyes narrowed. The wards had alerted that a wizard had entered the property. Here she saw a boy who was probably a twelve or thirteen year old standing on her door step.

"Hello Aunt Andy. I'm Hadrian Potter. I know it's been a long time since you've seen me, but I'm in need of a lawyer immediately and you're the only one I can trust considering my situation. I think we need to talk" he said looking at the shocked face of Andromeda Tonks nee Black.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, the entire school was in shock after reading the headlines on the Daily Prophet.

 _FORMER DEATH EATER SEVERUS SNAPE HARASSES AND MIND RAPES THE BOY WHO LIVED_

 _By Rita Skeeter_

 _Yesterday afternoon, former Death Eater Severus Tobias Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was found harassing Hadrian James Potter, The Boy Who Lived. It has come to the notice of this reporter that Severus Snape, while conducting Potions class for the first year Revanclaws and Hufflepuffs, which also contained Hadrian Potter who is surprisingly a Ravenclaw was found asking questions not relating to the material, insulting the Potter heir and also insulting the memory of his father, the Late Lord James Potter. Not only that, the professor also took points off when Hadrian Potter answers all the questions correctly, even when one the questions was NEWT level. When the boy finished his potion before the allotted time, the esteemed professor took points again, claiming that the boy had cheated and started insulting the Late Lord Potter again, in front of his son no less._

 _It was after this incident, when both of them made eye contact with each other, Professor Snape attempted to use Legilimency on the Boy Who Lived. Fortunately, Hadrian Potter seems to be well versed in the art of Occlumency, and threw the man out of his mind. For those readers who don't know, Legilimency is the art of reading another person's thoughts and is illegal to be performed without consent, especially on minors. In this case, Hadrian Potter is also the Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. The punishment for such a crime is life sentence in Azkaban. The attack on a Lord is automatic death sentence._

 _What was Albus Dumbledore thinking, having our children being taught by an accused criminal? One that seems to hate the Boy Who Lived? Will justice be served, or will Albus Dumbledore intervene again on Severus Snape's behalf like he did ten years ago? This faithful reporter will be on the watch to let you know._

Snape looked fuious. As did McGonagall and Flitwick, but their anger was directed at Snape. Dumbledore looked worried. He hadn't expected the news to break out so early. Before he could even try to attempt damage control, Madam Amelia Bones entered the Great Hall, with two Aurors in tow. Dumbledore had a bad feeling about this.

"Madam Bones, what can I do for you?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm here for the arrest of one Severus Tobias Snape. We have received evidence that he performed unauthorised Legilimency on the Heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House. He is to come with us to Auror Headquarters. If he is found innocent, he will be released. If not there will be a trial in front of the Wizengamot" she Amelia in a no-nonsense voice.

"What? Do you honestly believe that brat? Of course everyone listens to Potter. Strutting around ordering everyone, as if he owns the school. He needs to be taken down a peg or two! As if people will believe that lying, attention seeking brat over ME!" snarled Snape.

"That is why there is an interrogation Mr Snape. Mr Potter has already arrived at the Ministry. You are needed as well. I have already signed a warrant for your arrest. It is in your best interest to come quietly" she said coldly.

"Now, Madam Bones, are you sure this is necessary? I mean, the boy probably misunderstood. No eleven year old could have such advanced Occlumency shields. I'm sure this was all a big misunderstanding and I'm confident Mr Potter will apologise to Professor Snape for his behaviour" he said in a kind manner.

Amelia narrowed her eyes, and her temper flared. She was one of the best Aurors of her generation. She had risen through the ranks very quickly in the DMLE, and a year ago been made the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the youngest in history. Even though she was young, she had a fierce reputation. That was the reason no one wanted to cross her, not even the members of the Dark families of the Wizengamot or Albus Dumbledore. She didn't trust the old man. She had lost her entire family except for one of her brothers and his wife and daughter in the last war. She had also lost the man she was in love with. But if things went according to plan, she would get him back by the end of the day.

"The DMLE and the Wizengamot will be the judge of that. Cuff him" she ordered.

Snape stood angrily as the Aurors cuffed him with magic suppression shackles. They escorted him out and Amelia Bones left the hall. No one spoke for almost a minute, everyone too shocked at what had transpired. Then voices began buzzing. People were scared. Had Snape tried reading their mind too? For how long had he been doing it? Three of the four houses were silently cheering. They hated the greasy man more than anyone. Slytherin was silent. They knew that Hadrian Potter had played his cards masterfully. This would probably the last time they would see their Head of House.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Severus Snape sat in the interrogation room. This was infuriating! How dare that brat lie and damage his reputation like this! He couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts to deduct a thousand points from Ravenclaw and put Potter in detention for the rest of the seven years. Then he would fail Potter in Potions, so that he would have no choice but to repeat the year. He would torture the boy for eternity. He was shaken out of his day dreams when Amelia Bones entered the room. He swallowed his nervousness. He remembered Amelia from school. She was a year older than him, and even during school was considered a fierce duellist. She was certainly not a woman to cross.

"Interrogation of Severus Tobias Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the fourth of September 1991. Interrogator Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." A dicta quill started writing as she spoke.

"Mr Snape", she began. "You have been accused of harassment of a minor, using Legilimency on the Lord of an Ancient and Noble House, and murder of the Late Lord and Lady Potter by providing valuable information to the Dark Lord Voldemort, which caused him to hunt down their family. How do you plead?"

Snape paled. How had she known? The only people who had known that he was the one to rely the prophecy were the Dark Lord, Albus Dumbledore and Peter Pettigrew. And he knew without a doubt that both of them had not told her and Pettigrew was dead. What should he do?

"Not guilty of all charges" he replied.

"So noted" she said and nodded.

"Mr Snape, we have evidence for each of the three charges levelled against you. Do you have any evidence that you are not guilty of the charges?" she asked crisply.

Snape snarled "The boy obviously is a liar. He's a Potter, he would do anything he wants and no one would ask him. He already has a big head because he's a celebrity. Growing up like a price, arrogant just like his father" he ranted.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Mr Snape, has it ever crossed your mind that you are imagining James Potter, instead of his son? Are you accusing a boy of being just like his father, when the said boy doesn't even remember him? Anyway, let's get down to business. As I told you, we have evidence. If the other party agrees to use Veritaserum and you don't, it would cast you in a bad light. Confess now, and the punishment would be reduced. You have one minute."

Snape remained quiet. There was no way they could pin anything on him. The only serious charge was the third one, but he knew that there was no way they had proof for that or the Legilimency attack. And the harassment charge would not harm him anyway. It was only a matter of time before Dumbledore would rescue him. After a minute, Amelia got up. "There will be a full Wizengamot session in three hours. Get ready to make your case" she said and walked out of the room.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The members of the Wizengamot stepped into the room. Today was an emergency session, and most of them knew what it was going to be about. They had read the paper after all. Cyrus Greengrass watched Augusta Longbottom take her seat after speaking to Amelia Bones. He had received a letter from Daphne last night telling what a horrible teacher Snape was. So even if he was convicted, it was no big deal. Besides, this gave him the opportunity to observe the relationship between Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.

The said old wizard entered wearing pale blue robes and proceeded to the chair of the Chief Warlock. The Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, confused as to what this was about, sat on the seat to the left of Dumbledore and Amelia to the right. Once Dumbledore called the Wizengamot in session, Amelia stood up. "Lords and Ladies, members of the Wizengamot, before we begin, I believe Chief Warlock Dumbledore is not the right person to preside for today's agenda due to conflict of interest. I vote for Madam Marchbanks to be the Interim Chief Witch for today's session" she said.

Augusta Longbottom stood up. "Seconded" she said.

There was a murmur of agreement in the hall. Dumbledore cleared his throat. He had to pick his battles, and this was not one of them. "Let's take a vote. All for appointing Madam Marchbanks as Interim Chief Witch for today's Wizengamot session?" he asked.

A little more than half of the members lit their wands. A second later, the votes were counted. "The motion passes. Madam Marchbanks, if you please" he said stepping down.

An ancient witch walked up to the chair and sat down. "What case are we about to preside over Madam Bones?" she asked, her voice booming.

"The case of Hadrian James Potter vs Severus Tobias Snape" she replied.

Marchbanks nodded. "Alright, bring them in" she said.

Snape was brought in by two Aurors and made to sit down on the chair. Harry entered the hall with Andromeda Tonks in tow. He was wearing expensive robes of deep red, with the Potter Crest on the side of his chest.

"Is that really the Boy Who Lived? He looked nothing like what I expected" exclaimed Marchbanks.

"This is Hadrian James Potter, Chief Witch. That has already been confirmed" said Amelia.

"Interrogation of Severus Tobias Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the fourth of September 1991. Interrogator Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement" she said again.

"Witness for the defence, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" said a voice. Dumbledore came up and stood next to Snape.

"Noted" said Amelia.

"Mr Snape", she began. "You have been accused of harassment of a minor, using Legilimency on the Heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House, and murder of the Late Lord and Lady Potter by providing valuable information to the Dark Lord Voldemort, which caused him to hunt down their family. How do you plead?" she repeated.

Albus paled rapidly. How did she know about the prophecy? It would be disastrous if Harry or anyone else knew of its existence or contents. Before he could say anything, Snape said "Not guilty of all charges."

"So noted", said Madam Marchbanks.

Amelia began. "My first evidence against the accused is this memory which has been extracted by Head Unspeakable Croaker from Mr Potter. Mr Potter has also agreed to swear a magical oath about its veracity." People started murmuring. A minor swearing an oath was unheard of.

Harry got up and flicked his wand to his hand. "I, Hadrian James Potter, swear on my magic that the memories that have been extracted by Unspeakable Croaker which are to be presented for evidence are true and have not been tampered with. This I swear, so mote it be." A flash of light signified the oath. "Lumos" His wand tip glowed with a soft light, signifying he had his magic. "Nox"

The memory was poured inside the Pensieve, and the Unspeakable tapped a few runes on it. The image came out of it like a projector. It showed the meeting Harry had with Dumbledore where Snape began insulting his father. It later showed the memory of the Potions class where he started insulting him again and attempted Legilemency.

Unspeakable Croaker came up and said, "As a highly accomplished Legilimens, I can assure you that what you just saw was a Legilimency attack."

"Chief Witch, members of the Wizengamot, I think this situation had been grossly blown out of proportion. There is no proof of the attack other than Mr Potter's word for it. From what I have seen, Mr Potter attacked Professor Snape by pushing him to the other end of the room. It was probably a case of accidental magic, so no harm done. If he is willing to take back his case, then he won't receive any punishment for attacking a teacher" said Dumbledore smoothly.

Andromeda stepped up. "My client is willing to submit himself to Veritaserum questioning. As you know, questioning done under the serum is proof and it can't be taken back. Since Mr Potter has consented to it, the Wizengamot does not need to grant approval. Is your client willing to do the same Mr Dumbledore?" she asked.

Dumbledore stood silent. He really had not expected Harry to go this far. Before he could answer, Amelia spoke up. "There is also the matter of Mr Snape facilitating in the death of the Late Lord and Lady Potter. May we bring in our witness Chief Witch?"

"Proceed" said Marchbanks, frowning. This case was murkier than she thought.

Two Aurors brought in the frail form of Sirius Black. One other had a metal cage, where there was a rat unconscious. Dumbledore's eyes went wide when he saw Sirius. This was not good! Not good at all!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Chief Witch I must protest! Sirius Black is a convicted criminal! He was sentenced to Azkaban after betraying James and Lily Potter to Voldemort. I cannot stand by and watch as an innocent man like Severus Snape be convicted while a criminal and mass murderer like Black is removed from Azkaban" said Dumbledore.

"Ah, but you'll find that you are mistaken, Mr Dumbledore. You see, Sirius Black was never convicted of his crimes. He was thrown unceremoniously into Azkaban after his capture. He has been in Azkaban for 10 years without conviction or proof of his guilt. New evidence has been uncovered, and hence his reason to be here. But first, I call Arthur Weasley to the stand" said Amelia.

A confused Arthur Weasley entered the Wizengamot chambers. "Mr Weasley, does your family own a pet rat?" she asked.

"What does a rat have to do with anything? This is preposterous Chief Witch. I suggest we send Black back to Azkaban and clear my client of all charges. This really is getting out of hand" said Dumbledore. He was done with the kind persona. Things were going in ways he had never foreseen.

"I assure you Chief Witch this question is quite necessary" said Amelia.

"Objection overruled. Answer the question Mr Weasley" said Marchbanks.

"Yes. My son Percy had it for quite some time and now my youngest son Ron has it I believe" he said nervously.

"Mr Weasley, can you describe this rat? And how long has it been in your family?" asked Amelia.

"Ahm, it has brown fur, looks like any normal rat. But I think it had a toe missing in its paw. And it has been with my kids for more than nine years I think" he said.

"No rat can survive for more than three to four years and yet this rat has survived for nine years. Also, the rat has a missing toe, and the only part of Peter Pettigrew that was found was a finger."

"What does Pettigrew have anything to do with a rat? Am I the only one hearing rubbish here?" asked Dumbledore testily.

"Cauldron getting too hot for you, Mr Dumbledore? Unspeakable Croaker, if you would please" said Amelia.

The man came forward and pointed his wand at the rat and said " _Animagus Revilio"_

Immediately the rat started growing until finally, it settled on a short, bald man. The crowd gasped in surprise. "Meet Peter Pettigrew. The man supposedly killed by Sirius Black" boomed Amelia.

The Aurors put magic suppression cuffs on him and tied him to a chair. Amelia woke him up. "Since the person was declared dead, there is no law barring Veritaserum questioning to a supposed dead person" she said.

"I agree. Proceed Madam Bones" said Marchbanks.

The Unspeakable poured three drops of the serum down Pettigrew's throat. He became glassy eyed.

"What is your name?"

"Peter Alfred Pettigrew"

"What is your date of birth?"

"June 2nd, 1960"

"Were you a follower and Death Eater of the Dark Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes" There were gasps from the crowd.

"Were you the Secret Keeper of Potter Cottage which was under the Fidelius charm on October 31st, 1981?"

"Yes"

"Did you willingly betray the Potter family by giving up the Secret to the Dark Lord?

"Yes"

"What happened on the third of November, 1981?"

"Sirius had been following me. He is more powerful than I am. I knew I couldn't win if I decided to face and fight him. When he cornered me, I shouted out, asking him why he had betrayed James and Lily. Then I hit him with a cheering charm, blasted the gas line, cut off my finger to fake my death and transformed into my animagus form."

"Lord Voldemort only targeted the Potter family because he received some highly classified information. Is this true?"

"Yes. He wanted to kill Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom." Augusta gasped at this revelation.

"Who was the one who provided this information to Voldemort that made him target the Potter and Longbottom families?"

"Severus Snape"

Uproar. People started screaming for their heads. They couldn't believe what was happening. A person they thought was a criminal turned out to be innocent. Another had faked his death was hiding as a rat in plain sight. The third was teaching their children at school!

Harry had a grim smile on his face. Revenge was a dish best served cold. And they hadn't even started on Dumbledore yet. Once it quieted down, Sirius was administered the serum as he had requested it.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black"

"Are you the oath sworn godfather of one Hadrian James Potter?"

"Yes"

"Are you a follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort?"

"No. Never"

"Were you the Secret Keeper for the Potter Cottage that housed your cousin James Potter and his family?"

"No. That was Peter Pettigrew"

"Who cast the Fidelius Charm on the cottage?"

Dumbledore's face was red with anger. He spoke up " Madam I must protest! This has nothing to do with Severus Snape's interrogation! This question is irrelevant" he said.

"Objection overruled" said Marchbanks, staring daggers at Dumbledore. She had really lost a lot of respect for the man today.

"Repeat the answer, Mr Black"

"Albus Dumbledore"

Most of the people had their mouths open in shock. How could someone like Dumbledore do something like this?

Andromeda stepped forward again. "This is the last Will and Testament of Lord James and Lady Lily Potter which had been sealed under the office of the Chief Warlock. However, my client enacted the end of the line clause and the family magic accepted him as the Lord of the Potter family. So he was able to unseal it. I think you would find the contents most illuminating" she said.

Dumbledore's eyes went wide. Before he could protest, Andromeda continued, "The will clearly says that the Secret Keeper was Peter Pettigrew. It also sheds light on the guardianship of Hadrian Potter. It states that he should be raised by, in the order of preference, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Sirius Black, Andromeda and Ted Tonks, meaning my husband and I and finally Amelia Bones. It states that under no circumstance, should Hadrian ever be placed with Lily Potter's sister Petunia Dursley, as her sister and her husband hate magic with a passion and would treat their child very badly. This Will was witnessed by Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black. And I would like to point out that Hadrian Potter was left with Petunia Dursley after the incident on October 31st, 1981".

"WHAT?" shouted Sirius. "You left my godson with those magic hating muggles? Have you gone insane?" he shouted, tears flowing down his face.

"What I did was necessary. There were protections around the house that would have ensured his safety from Death Eaters" said Dumbledore firmly.

"But it did nothing to protect him from the _Child Abusers_ inside" said Andromeda. "Unspeakable Croaker, if you would please."

The man poured memories into the Pensieve. The audience was horrified, as they watched Harry repeatedly get beaten up for anything to nothing, how he wasn't given food for days at a time, how he had to work at such a tender age, how he was whipped with a belt, forced to sleep in a cupboard, and finally the incident where his uncle stabbed him.

Sirius was sobbing loudly. Harry went over to him and gave his godfather a tight hug. Harry's face was pale, and a lone tear slid down his cheek as he watched his memories. He mentally shuddered thinking what would have happened if he had not discovered about magic when he did. He probably would have come to Hogwarts as a meek and clueless child, just as Dumbledore wanted.

Once they ended, the chamber was silent. Madam Marchbanks cleared her throat. "This has been one horrible day. I don't need more time; I have already reached my decision. Severus Tobias Snape, you have been charged with the harassment of a minor child; Legilimency attack on the minor Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter; felicitated the murder of the Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and also facilitated in the torture and permanent incapacitation of the Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. For this, you will be sentenced to life in Azkaban. All those who agree?" she asked.

A majority of them lit their wands. "So convicted."

"Peter Alfred Pettigrew, you have been charged with the facilitation of the murder of the Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and for the murder of thirteen muggles. For this crime, you will be sentenced to life in Azkaban. All those who agree?"

Again, a majority of them lit their wands. "So convicted"

"Sirius Orion Black, you had been falsely charged and placed in Azkaban without a trail. The Ministry deeply apologises for this debacle. I hereby order the DMLE to pursue this matter and find out how _Lord Black_ was denied a trial. The Ministry also wishes to compensate you 2 million galleons for your unjust imprisonment."

"I also order the DMLE to find and arrest the muggles responsible for the attempted murder of the Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. They will be tried by the Wizengamot in the next session."

"And finally, I move for the removal of Albus Dumbledore as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot as he has been negligent in his duties and gross corruption has been detected. I also move to remove him as the representative of Magical Britain in the International Confederation of Wizards. We shall call for a vote _now_ " said Madam Marchbanks.

"You can't do this! I'm Albus Dumbledore, the Leader of the Light. Everything I do is for the Greater Good" he shouted, letting his emotions control him, eyes blazing with fury.

"You'll find that I can" said Madam Marchbanks coldly. "All those in favour?"

It was a somewhat narrow vote. It looked like Dumbledore really was the Leader of the Light as the majority of the faction did not vote in favour. But their votes weren't enough against the Grey and Dark faction.

"Albus Dumbledore you are hereby impeached from the office of the Chief Warlock and your representation of Magical Britain in the ICW is terminated. Please do not attend any further meetings in the ICW unless you are called. Session Closed" she said and banged her gavel.

The Lords and Ladies got up slowly, still in shock over the events. Sirius was still crying, burying his head in Harry's chest. The Aurors took Snape and Pettigrew away to the holding cells. Harry pulled away from his godfather. "Sirius, I don't blame you for what happened. You were played by a master manipulator. When Hagrid refused to hand me over to you, what would you have done? Fight with him? I remember you saying that you would be back to take care of me once you catch the traitor. But it was not meant to be" he said.

But Sirius was still crying. "Harry, Amy, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry" he bawled. Amelia had tears in her eyes. "Sirius listen to me. I want you to go to Andromeda's house for now. She'll take you to St Mungo's for you to receive treatment. I'll come and see you soon. So will Harry. I promise" she said to him.

Sirius slowly nodded. Andromeda took his hand and led him out. "You have to be really careful now Harry. We don't know what Dumbledore is going to do" she said softly.

"I know Aunt Amy. I'll be careful."

Amelia nodded and they exited the chamber. Before they could leave, they heard a voice. "Madam Bones, Lord Potter?"

Harry turned and his eyes went wide. "Lord Greengrass" he said.

The man gave Harry a small smile and spoke up. "I was wondering if you would like to come to Greengrass Manor during the Yule holidays. I found out about the family situation recently, and I think we need to talk."

Amelia looked at Lord Greengrass and at Harry and asked, "I don't want to intrude into your family business, but is this what I think it is?" she asked slowly.

Harry nodded grimly. "Yes, Aunt Amy. It's two hundred years old; Iron clad. But please don't mention this to anyone. I don't want anyone to know just yet" he said.

She nodded. "Don't worry Harry. My lips are sealed."

"I'd be honoured to come to your manor Lord Greengrass. How about the 22nd of December?" he asked.

"Agreed. Good day to you both" he smiled and walked away.

 **AN:** I would like to thank you all for your reviews and support. This is my first attempt at fanfaction or any story of this size for that matter, and I was shocked at the amount of work that goes into each chapter. I apologise for the chapters being short; in my defence I didn't realise it. But I'm doing my best to make the chapters longer.

I've read many fics of Harry Potter. And what I don't find is some of the tender moments with Harry and the female character. There are lime scenes, but very little romance. I'm hoping to develop that in my story and hopefully, it'll turn out as I want it to. I will focus on Harry and Daphne's relationship so that it is based on mutual friendship, trust and love for the other. This is my most favourite pairing of all. I wish canon had more of Daphne instead of Ginny Stalker Weasley. The Gryffindor Golden Boy and the Slytherin Ice Queen; they are just begging to be put together! And I don't like Harem fics either. Honestly, how do you expect opposites like Hermione Granger and Daphne Greengrass to coexist?

I have read a few reviews where they have asked about the Dursleys. I have not forgotten about them. You just have to wait for a few chapters. Trust me those assholes will get what's coming to them.

I also realise that there are some plot holes and as someone pointed it out to me, I move too fast. Thank you for your assessment and I've started slowing down so that minor details can be shown as well. As for plot holes, well, they are deliberate. If they are any, they will be explained in future chapters.

I have read stories where Harry cuts off all support of Dumbledore and has the man on the back foot in one stroke with the help of the Goblins. I agree that in this chapter Snape has been sent to Azkaban. But it is not possible for a newbie like Harry to completely topple someone like Albus Dumbledore who has been in politics for 50 years. They may take his positions away like they did in the fifth book, but his influence remains. Harry may be very powerful and knowledgeable for his age, but is still an eleven-year-old. There is only so much he can do. But I really hate Albus Manipulative Bastard Dumbledore. Really, how on earth is he supposed to be good? He left a baby on a doorstep in the middle of a November night! Baby Harry could have frozen to death or kidnapped. There are a million reasons I don't like him, but I'll shut up for now.

I find that in canon it is forgotten that it probably was Albus Dumbledore who cast the Filideus Charm. That incident is never brought up. Why? And if Bill Weasley could be the secret keeper of Shell Cottage, why couldn't James Potter have been the secret keeper for his house?

Another person asked me if Harry's Nundu heartstring wand is more powerful than the Elder Wand. The answer definitely is NO. Harry's wand might be old and very powerful, but it is still wizard made, while the Elder wand was made by Death. BTW, did Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows not acknowledge that Death created the Hallows while he and Harry were talking at the entrance of Death's lair?

In many of the fics I've read, the Wizarding world is portrayed as still stuck in the Dark Ages. I don't buy that. The wizarding world is different from the muggle world, so we can't really go by the opinion of a muggleborn like Hermione Granger, who doesn't know the inner working of the wizarding world.

Speaking of Hermione Granger, I apologise. My first decision was to make her Harry's friend. But that would just not work for my plans for the story. Hermione prides herself in always being first in class; can you imagine her reaction if Harry were to take that spot instead? (Book 6 comes to mind). Besides, she is too bossy and is a blind believer of those in authority, and the Harry in this story will not tolerate it.

I would like to warn you folks because this story also has a bit of dark themes thrown in; not too much, but noticeable. Harry is not dark. He will not join Voldemort or something like that. But he is most definitely grey with some dark tendencies (he has Voldemort's memories in his subconscious mind for fuck's sake, it is bound to influence him a bit)

Someone commented that Snape isn't very smart. Well, he may be cunning, but he definitely is an idiot. I loathe Snape. If you recall, in Deathly Hallows, even as Voldemort raised his wand to end his life, he did not betray his master. If Harry had not been there, would Snape have been able to give those memories? I believe Snape is only loyal to himself; he followed whoever was most likely to win the war. And as for Snape not being executed in this chapter, well, Bellatrix was not executed either. Do you think they would do that to him? HA! In Book 5, if Harry had gone to the proper authorities after the way Snape mind raped him in the guise of teaching Occlumency, then he would have been crucified! That shows that he isn't smart. Harry is the fucking BOY WHO LIVED! Who does that?

Speaking of James and Lily Potter, I don't like those wrong Boy Who Lived stories where they completely forget him. While their characters aren't developed, there is no way James and Lily would forget their son like that. I also don't buy that 'Harry survived because of love' crap either. James was a bully, I completely agree. But vilifying him and making Snape a saint? BOO! Snape is a Death Eater! He murders people for fun! He should NOT be made a hero. In the epilogue, did Harry name his son after both men who were responsible for all that went wrong in his life? DAMN!

I would also like to come to the thunderbird familiar. Voldemort has Nagini, Dumbledore has a phoenix. I was actually torn between a white phoenix 'Hedwig' and a thunderbird, but finally decided on the latter. I swear I had that idea before I watched Fantastic Beasts, but the movie definitely cemented my view to choose the thunderbird. You'll see it more in future chapters.

And finally we come to the Potter family. In canon, we don't see much of the family history or finances. So I decided to make the family immensely old, with a rich history and lots of money. Don't judge me! I have big plans, and that can only happen if Harry is already influential. If not, it would take too much time.

So before I reveal too much of the plot, I'll say bye. And again, thank you for your support!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Harry was eating breakfast in the Hogwarts kitchens. He didn't want to be in the Great Hall when the Daily Prophet arrived. Toby popped in and delivered the paper to him. He smiled when he saw the headlines.

 _SEVERUS SNAPE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN AZKABAN!_

 _Found guilty of Legilimency and facilitated in the murder of the Late Lord and Lady Potter and in the permanent incapacitation of Lord and Lady Longbottom_

 _SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!_

 _The soon-to-be Lord Black was finally given a trial; compensated 2 million galleons for illegal incarceration after being found innocent_

 _PETER PETTIGREW ALIVE AND BEHIND IT ALL!_

 _Death Eater and Secret Keeper of Potter Cottage is an Illegal animagus and was hiding as a rat for almost 10 years in a wizarding home; was found as student's pet at Hogwarts_

 _BOY WHO LIVED ABUSED AND ALMOST MURDERED BY MUGGLE RELATIVES!_

 _Hadrian Potter beaten, starved, overworked; forced to live in a cupboard; Stabbed with a knife by his uncle at the age of seven_

 _ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IMPEACHED FROM OFFICE AS CHIEF WARLOCK AND AS REPRESENTATIVE IN THE ICW DUE TO NEGLIGENCE AND CORRUPTION_

 _Newly unsealed Potter Will proved that Dumbledore knew all along about Sirius Black's innocence and Hadrian Potter's magic hating muggle relatives_

 _BARTY CROUCH, MILLICENT BAGNOLD AND ALBUS DUMBLEDORE TO BE QUESTIONED IN REGARDS TO SIRIUS BLACK NOT HAVING A TRIAL_

 _EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE BOY WHO LIVED A LIE?_

 _All the supposed facts about the boy, including his appearance, seems to be false_

 _THE DARK LORD SPECIFICALLY TARGETTED HARRY POTTER AND NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM_

 _Why were the two babies a threat?_

 _AMELIA BONES PRAISED FOR QUICK ACTION_

 _MUGGLE GUARDIANS OF HARRY POTTER TO BE ARRESTED AND TRIED IN FRONT OF THE WIZENGAMOT DURING NEXT SESSION_

The entire county was shocked to death. They couldn't believe their eyes. At Hogwarts, in the headmaster's office, Albus Dumbledore threw his paper down in disgust. He had been clearly outmaneuvered. But how did this happen so fast? If Severus had not been arrested, he could have smoothened things over. But that was doubtful, he mused darkly. Peter Pettigrew. That man's appearance took him completely by surprise. If he had known that the man was right under his nose, he would have gotten rid of the main evidence that could have exonerated Sirius Black. But how had Harry found Pettigrew so quickly? He had forgotten to ask that question during the trial and was now cursing himself. He also should have asked how the boy developed such advanced Occlumency.

He couldn't even attempt to gain guardianship of the boy, as he was emancipated. Not the first time he had cursed the Potter family charter. Those blasted rules had not allowed him to create a marriage contract between Harry and young Ginny Weasley. And now, it had helped the boy to become Lord Potter too early. He had _never_ expected Madam Marchbanks to call for a vote to remove him as Chief Warlock immediately. The dark and grey families had taken it to their advantage and ousted him. And now poor Severus was in Azkaban too. Why didn't they realise that everything he did was for the Greater Good?

He would not fail. He was Albus Dumbledore. After some time, they would come crawling back to him to take back his post. Besides, it wasn't like they had the power to remove him from Hogwarts, his real power base. He would stay in the shadows for now and observe Harry Potter. At the first available opportunity, he would strike.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

During the day, the rest of the students kept staring at Harry Potter, and to a lesser extent Neville Longbottom. And both of them were quite uncomfortable with the attention. Harry, who was used to being alone all the time, was quite agitated. Neville was terrified that he had been You Know Who's target. By the end of the day, Harry pulled the other boy aside.

"It's an honour to finally speak to you, Heir Longbottom" he said in a formal voice.

Neville, having been trained very well by his grandmother, said shyly "It's an honour to meet you as well, Lord Potter. What can I do for you?"

Harry smiled. "Please call me Harry. After all, we're god brothers. As far as I'm aware, my mother was your godmother, and your mother is my godmother. We don't need to be formal with each other."

"Then please call me N-Neville" he stammered.

Harry mentally frowned. It looked like Neville had self-confidence issues. Of course, Harry had those too, he just didn't show it. Being told that you're worthless and a waste of space for the majority of your early childhood does tend to affect you. He decided to do his best to improve Neville's confidence.

"Susan told me you're very good at Herbology. Do you work with plants a lot?" he asked. It was true. He had already befriended Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott just that morning. Neville's face lit up. Harry smiled internally. They started walking to the library while chatting with each other.

After dinner, Harry was on his way to the library again when he heard a voice. "Potter" Harry turned and came face to face with Daphne Greengrass. He gave her a smile and said "Hello Daphne. You can call me Harry if you would like."

She gave him a brief smile and replied "I wanted to thank you. Ever since that incident in the greenhouses, Draco Malfoy has been avoiding me. He had been harassing me about a betrothal contract for months now. And, I was wondering, if you wanted to be my friend" she said softly.

Harry kept a blank face and stared at her. "If you want to be my friend solely because you feel sorry for me after reading about the horrors of my past, then I don't think it's a good idea" he said carefully.

"It's not because I feel sorry for you. But I can understand your reasoning behind it. You don't want pity. But I do want us to be friends and get to know each other. What do you say?" she asked.

Harry knew that Daphne did not know about the Potter-Greengrass marriage contract. And he knew that Cyrus Greengrass was not going to be informing her anytime soon. It just wasn't something you would put down in a letter. So a friendship would probably help them form a lasting relationship. Or at least he hoped. "Friends" he said, shaking her hand.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next two months seemed to fly by. A man named Horace Slughorn was teaching Potions. Sirius was still in St Mungo's. While his animagus form was helped him preserve the most of his sanity, he was still in a very bad shape, physically and psychologically. So the healing process was going slowly. But Amelia had purchased two-way mirrors and given each to Sirius and Harry so that they could communicate. Harry was fascinated by it. He wrote a letter to Lord Rangok to see if they could invest in the company and build on the magical device. Godfather and godson spoke to each other frequently. While Sirius still felt guilty, he slowly came to understand that he really had been manipulated. Harry was very happy that Sirius was recovering. He told his godfather about his perfect memory due to Occlumancy, about how he remembered Sirius from when he was a baby and hence could not believe that he could have betrayed them, about finding Peter using the Marauder's Map, contacting Andromeda Tonks and Amelia Bones and setting up the big trial to free him.

He did not mention everything of course. Harry still had major trust issues. And there was no way he would spill his secrets, even if it was his godfather. In classes, Harry was the best in his year. The teachers couldn't help but praise him for his talent. Ravenclaw was racking up points because of him.

Harry woke up on Halloween feeling depressed. Today was the tenth anniversary of his parents' murder. But he tried to not let it affect him. The day went on and the last class was Charms. Professor Flitwick was teaching them the levitation charm.

"Now use the wand movement we have been practicing. The swish and flick. Now the incantation, _Wengardium Leviosa_ " he said.

Harry as usual was able to get it on the first try getting another twenty points for Ravenclaw. Professor Flitwick saw Neville struggling. But it didn't seem right, as his movements were practically flawless. "Mr Longbottom can I see your wand?" he asked.

Neville nodded morosely and handed his wand to the half-goblin. When he looked at it, it seemed quite old. He pointed the wand at the feather and said, " _Wingardium Leviosa"_

The feather moved, but with difficulty. "Mr Longbottom, you have a mismatched wand. That's why your wand work isn't good. I'll inform your grandmother and Head of House about this. We shall be going to Diagon Ally next weekend to get you a new wand. Really, coming to Hogwarts without a wand that fits you! " he said and shook his head.

Before he could say anything else, Ron Weasley's feather exploded, while Hermione Granger was telling him what he did wrong in that condescending way of hers. Harry shook his head. The boy had been following him, trying to be his friend for the past two months, probably on the orders of Dumbledore. It was really becoming annoying. Granger, on the other hand, threw him filthy looks every time he did better than her. He really couldn't understand her. She seemed determined to beat him at everything, and that bossy attitude of hers when she spoke to others alienated her from the rest of her peers. She also seemed to worship the very ground Albus Dumbledore walked on as if he were Merlin himself. She kept telling anyone who would listen how the Daily Prophet must be lying, and that there was no way Dumbledore could do something like that. That was the reason Harry kept his distance from her. He had seen kids like her in primary school. They loved to impress the teachers and thought they knew it all, and believed everything people in authority told them. Harry was the exact opposite in that he didn't trust people in authority, with very few exceptions. After all, what had adults ever done for him?

After class, he returned to his room. Just as he passed the large window, he heard a rumble of thunder, an eagle's cry, a flash of lightning spread across the horizon and it started raining. Harry's eyes went wide. He knew what this signal meant. He transformed into his golden eagle form and flew off Ravenclaw tower. He concentrated on the bond he had with his familiar and few in that direction. Fifteen minutes of fast flying later, he was joined by a large thunderbird.

" _Aquila what is it?"_ he asked his friend.

The bird replied telepathically " _I sense danger little one. There is a plot by someone that will put your life and those around you in danger. Be careful Harry. I'll be around, just in case you need my help."_

 _"_ _Thanks for the warning, my friend. I will be careful, I promise"_ he said reassuring his best friend.

They spent the next few hours flying with each other as Harry filled the thunderbird on what had happened in the last two months. After that, he returned to his room via the open window and transformed. He cast a drying charm on himself and headed to the Great Hall. Dinner was proceeding normally. The storm caused by Aquila was still present as rain lashed against the windows. Everyone except Harry was laughing and enjoying themselves. But he was busy observing what was going on. An hour into the feast, Quirrell burst into the hall. "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Thought you ought to know" he said and fainted right there.

The students started screaming. Dumbledore shot off a blast from his wand. The hall quietened. "Prefects, escort the students to their dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the Dungeons" he said in a calm voice.

"But isn't the Slytherin Common Room in the dungeons? And what if we run into the troll while on the way to our dormitories?" asked Harry loudly. Everyone turned to look at him, but he didn't care. Aquila had warned him, and he wasn't going to risk the lives of the entire student body just because of Dumbledore's stupidity. Some of the Slytherin students looked at him with grateful expressions on their faces.

"Quite right Mr Potter. All the students will remain in the Great Hall. Don't you agree Albus?" asked McGonagall.

Dumbledore looked miffed at being rebuked by a first year in front of the whole school but didn't voice it out loud. Just as the teachers were about to leave, another student spoke up.

"Professor McGonagall, Hermione Granger isn't here. She's in the second-floor bathroom because, ahm" said Parvati Patil, looking at Ron Weasley. McGonagall's lips thinned, as she figured it out. Weasley had probably insulted Granger. "Thank you for the warning, Miss Patil. I, along with a few teachers will find her and bring her here. The rest of you, do not leave the Great Hall" she said and all the teachers left. After a minute, Quirrell woke up and left the hall as well.

Harry's heart was hammering. Had they avoided the danger? The students were all strangely silent. Five minutes had passed, and suddenly, they heard a loud grunt and a bang on the door. A dent formed on the door of the Great Hall. People started screaming. Harry flicked his wand to his hand. It looked like Aquila was right. He got up and faced the door. Damn the incompetent staff! There were none present to protect the students. There was another bang. "Everybody get away from the door" shouted Harry. The students at the end of the hall scrambled and moved to the side of the hall. With another bang, the door burst open, revealing a twelve foot Mountain Troll. People started screaming. Harry immediately acted. If he couldn't stop it, maybe he could slow it down.

" _Aguamenti"_ he shouted pointing his wand at the Troll's feet. The water jet streamed and hit its mark.

" _Glacius"_ he said pointing his wand there again. A blast of freezing cold air impacted the troll's feet, freezing it to ice. The troll's feet were stuck. But unfortunately, his hands were still free.

The stroll snarled, took his club and broke one end of the Ravenclaw table. People were crying now and tried to get away. Harry was angry now. Was he the only one willing to face it head on?

" _Sonorous._ Whoever can perform the Blasting curse, target his head and chest and fire on my mark. Ready? NOW!" he shouted.

A dozen sixth and seventh-year students pointed their wands at the troll and together with Harry, shouted " _CONFRINGO_!" Several jets of orange light impacted the troll. The troll shrieked in pain as they tore through its flesh. But it was not done. It broke free of its icy confines and was about to pound a few students to death when Harry pointed his wand at the students and shouted " _Protego"._ He pointed his wand at the troll's club and said " _REDUCTO!"_ The club shattered into pieces, but Harry's shield protected the students from harm.

Before the troll could do any more damage, Harry decided to end it, damn the damage done to the Great Hall. " _BOMBORDA MAXIMA"_ he shouted, pointing his wand to the troll. A jet of white light flew from his wand and impacted the troll's upper chest. The troll's head was blasted apart and the body itself flew backward and impacted the doorway and it lay there, dead.

Harry was breathing deeply. His hands and legs were shaking so badly that he collapsed on the floor. " _Quietus"_ he whispered, pointing the wand at his throat. He had just returned the wand to his holster when he fainted due to magical exhaustion and knew no more.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"I can't believe something like this happened at Hogwarts. Such incidents never occurred when we were students here" said a male voice.

"I agree. How in Merlin's name did a troll get into the school?" asked a female voice.

"I have no idea. But the Prophet has been running wild theories. Once they got wind of the fact that the Boy Who Lived saved everyone by killing the troll, people once again started calling him a hero. Of course, Dumbledore managed to soothe things down and no one blamed him at all."

"Humph, just because we made him fall once, doesn't mean it can happen again."

Harry slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times and found himself in the hospital wing. He got up to find Sirius Black and Amelia Bones standing and talking to each other softly. Sirius turned to look at him. "Harry, thank Merlin you're alright. You gave us quite a fright. From what we heard, you put up one hell of a fight, kiddo. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine, I guess. What happened?" asked Harry.

Amelia spoke up. "You passed out due to magical exhaustion after killing the troll, which was very impressive by the way. I watched the memory of the incident provided by one of the seventh year students. To think a first-year student was able to kill a troll, was something astounding in itself. But to use spells which are taught to fifth and sixth years as an eleven-year-old is just amazing. I'm so very proud of you Harry" she said smiling.

"Thanks, Aunt Amy. And I know you're curious, so I'll answer anyway. I've been studying magic for the last four years. I used a stick to practice wand movements and so I was quite familiar with them. But I have to admit, I never expected to be drained this badly" he said putting his head down on the pillow. That was a lie of course. He had been using the wand of this great grandfather to practice. Fergus Potter had been an outstanding duellist, and had been an International Duelling Champion. It was after talking to his portrait that inspired Harry to train and take part in the Duelling championships.

"Good to know. Now, you've been here for almost a day; it's five in the evening now. What you should know is that no one yet knows how a troll got into the school. But you have impressed the hell out of everyone and the incident was also featured in the papers. So you've got yourself quite a bit of attention. Hopefully, Madam Pomfrey will release you tonight. If not, rest and you can attend classes from tomorrow. Okay?" she said kindly.

Harry nodded and mentally groaned. While he liked exposing Dumbledore's incompetence, he did not like the extra attention. Sirius and Amelia said goodbye and promised to see him soon and left. Madam Pomfrey came up to his bed and scanned him. After grudging acknowledging that he was fine, he left the hospital wing. Immediately he was surrounded by his friends. Daphne came up to him to give him a tender hug. He suddenly stiffened, and after a few seconds relaxed. He wasn't used to hugs. He usually associated physical contact with pain.

"Harry those were some advanced spells you used. Where did you learn all that?" Neville asked in wonder. He couldn't help but be in awe at what he had seen yesterday.

"I had learnt the spells and practiced the wand movements, Neville. But I never expected to use them on a troll. They're meant for duels, and using so much magic drained me. Was anyone injured?" he asked.

"A few had some cuts and many were in shock. But we're all fine, thanks to you" said Hannah.

"After you passed out, McGonagall came back with Granger. When she saw the dead troll, she was white as a sheet. She asked the Head Boy and Girl what happened and they told her what you had done. Let's just say that Ravenclaw gained a hundred points after that. But Granger looked like she had swallowed a lemon" said Tracy.

Harry chuckled and idly wondered what Dumbledore's reaction might have been. And he really wanted to find out who let the troll into the castle. Things weren't adding up. When they entered the Great Hall, all conversation stopped and all of them started at Harry. Then the clapping started. Everyone, including most of the Slytherins started applauding for the eleven your boy that saved them from injury and possibly death. Harry blushed as he was not used to being complimented; just the contrary in fact. He gave them a small smile and proceeded to the Ravenclaw table.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Harry sat on his bed in Ravenclaw Tower contemplating on what to do. He had just returned from a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. It was during the match when suddenly the clouds darkened and lightning flashed. Harry heard Aquila speak in his mind, warning him about danger and a possible threat to his life. During the match, both bludgers suddenly sped away from the players and came directly for Harry. Harry dived out of the way, but the bludgers were relentless. It came back and hit his right leg that was probably meant for his groin. He moved out of the way of another which was about to impact his chest. He took his wand out and blasted the incoming bludger. But he wasn't fast enough to hit the other one as it broke his left arm, just as the teachers blasted it to smoke. As he tried to get up, with a broken hand and leg, he saw a small smile on Quirrell's face. He had wanted to investigate Quirrell's strange behaviour, but now he didn't care. He wanted that man dead. Clearly, it was him who had let the troll in on Halloween.

It was midnight when Harry donned his invisibility cloak and flew out of the tower in his eagle form. It was really amazing what his invisibility cloak could do. He could transform into his animagus form and the cloak would shrink and cling to his body without falling off. He flew to the second floor, where he knew was the Defence classroom. He transformed back and stood behind a pillar as he watched Quirrell approach his classroom. He flicked the fingers of his left hand and his Ebony and Thunderbird feather wand sailed out of his holster and into his waiting hand. Wizarding Law stated that a witch or wizard could only have one wand and the said wand had to be registered with the Ministry of Magic. Registered wand makers like Ollivander would never sell him a second wand unless the first was broken. But he needed a wand to do his dirty work, something which could not be traced back to him, even remotely, and this wand was perfect for that as Aquila had graciously given him a feather for the wand core.

He pointed his wand at Quirrell and mentally said " _Imperio"._ He could feel the control slip to him. He instructed the man on what to do and followed him. Quirrell walked to the restricted area on the third floor and opened the door. Harry had followed Hagrid once and had come across the half-giant feeding the giant Cerberus. He had also figured out that there was a giant Devil's snare just under the trap door. Just as he had predicted, the dog ripped Quirrell's legs apart just as he was about to jump. The man screamed and fell head first into the death trap below. Harry closed his eyes and extended his senses and could sense the man's life slipping away as he was being strangled by the plant. Harry smiled grimly, transformed into an eagle and went back to his room by flying into the window. Quirrell was dead and if he was right, so were the attempts on his life. He could finally enjoy his first year in peace.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

During the next month and a half, Harry extensively trained for the Duelling Championship in the Room of Requirement. He had also started working on slowly unravelling Voldemort's memories. But otherwise, everything was the same as ever. He was still the first in class, much to Hermione Granger's displeasure; Albus Dumbledore was leaving him alone, which made Harry quite paranoid and was still communicating with Sirius.

On the nineteenth of December, Harry got another mirror call from Sirius. "I just received a letter from Moony. He said that he would like to meet us during the Yule holidays. What do you think?" he asked.

"Tell him to meet us on the 29th. I have a few questions I need to ask him" said Harry in a cold tone. He had been very pissed off when he found out about Remus Lupin's existence. He had been pissed off with Sirius too for putting revenge ahead of his responsibilities to baby Harry, but he had time to come to terms with it and had forgiven his godfather. Not that the other man knew that of course, as Harry had decided that Sirius had suffered enough. But he definitely wasn't going to be cutting any slack for Lupin. Any relationship between them would be decided based on the answers the man gave.

"So, what's going on between you and Aunt Amy? Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" asked Harry grinning, changing the topic.

"You scamp. Nothing for now, though. Amelia and I had been dating for almost two years before I was sent to Azkaban. Ten years is a long time Harry and both of us have changed. I know I have. I doubt I ever would have accepted the Black Lordship before. And I definitely have become more cynical and paranoid. So, we have decided to wait and see. We still have feelings for each other, and if it works out, good. If it doesn't, well we just have to get over it and move on" he said softly.

Harry sighed. "Speaking of love lives, there is something I have to tell you. Several months back, I found out there was an unbreakable marriage contract between House Potter and House Greengrass. I have to get married to Heiress Daphne Greengrass. What do you think?"

Sirius took almost a minute to recover from his shock. "Well, at least it isn't someone bad. The Greengrass family has been notoriously neutral for years, and from what I have heard, Lord Cyrus Greengrass seems to be a good man. Good luck kiddo, I'm always here to give you some pointers" he said with a grin.

"Pointers on what?" asked Harry innocently. Sirius grinned and after making sure Harry would not deactivate the mirror, proceeded to give the young boy The Talk, and in Harry's opinion, the most embarrassing conversation of his life.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Two days later, Harry, Daphne, Tracy, Neville, Susan and Hannah found themselves sitting in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express, having fun. Of course, all good things must come to an end as suddenly, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger barged into the compartment. As unlikely as it was, those two started hanging out with each other after the troll incident and had managed to annoy Harry more than usual.

Ron spoke up, "Harry mate, what are you doing with a bunch of filthy snakes? Come join us, we can play a game of chess."

Harry groaned. He was so not in the mood for this. "Weasley, those filthy snakes you refer to are my _friends._ And I'm not interested in playing chess with you. As you can see, I'm reading. I prefer not to talk" he said, hoping Weasley would get the hint. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"You always read, mate, why don't we discuss Quidditch? I follow Chudley Cannons, you should too" he said. Harry's eye twitched, but he didn't say anything and returned to his book.

"What book are you reading Harry? I don't recognise it. I've finished all the first year books of course. I was ever so pleased when I found out I was a witch and that I was selected for Hogwarts. No one in my family is magical. I don't remember any teacher authorising you to read that book. You shouldn't be reading books that haven't been prescribed you know. They could be dangerous. You should give it to Professor McGonagall so that she can check if it's appropriate for you. Is that how you do so well in class? Getting extra help is cheating!" she exclaimed. She had said it all, so fast that her face was now pink.

Daphne was getting annoyed as well. She may not be the top of the year like Harry, but she was no slouch, being the top Slytherin in her year. So she replied in a cold voice, "Granger it is none of your business what book he reads. And he doesn't need anyone's permission to read a book, as the book belongs to him. No one has the right to take it away from him unless it explicitly harms another person. And he does well in class because he's _smart,_ not because he gets extra help, and don't you dare call him a cheat. Have you so soon forgotten the incident with the troll?" she asked with venom in her voice. Daphne already had a reputation for herself. Like Harry, she too wore a cold, expressionless mask almost all the time. Her tone and sarcasm were enough to drive away people who tried to get smart with her. For those who persisted, a few ice spells to the groin taught them the lesson, so most people learned to stay the hell away from her.

"You're quite rude you know?" asked Hermoine. Daphne's eye twitched. Before she could take out her wand, she felt Harry take her hand and give it a soft squeeze. She calmed down a bit.

"Miss Granger, you were the one who barged into our compartment and started insulting us by calling us filthy snakes and cheats. Are you sure you want to talk about being rude?" asked Daphne.

That's when Ron decided to open his mouth. "But we didn't say anything wrong! All Slytherins are evil! Everybody knows that!" he shouted.

The air in the compartment suddenly went cold. Harry turned to him with his wand raised and said, "Leave before you get cursed. I'm sure you know what I'm capable of. You were there when I took care of the troll. Care for an encore?"

Ron went pale and left hastily. Hermione sniffed and said "You shouldn't threaten a student. I'll be reporting this to Professor McGonagall when we get back". She then left the compartment.

"Those two are the most annoying twats I have ever seen" exclaimed Tracy.

"I don't understand what their problem is. Weasley follows you around like a lost puppy and Granger can't take a hint that you're not interested in her little competition. Have you observed the fact that she spends even more time in the library now that before?" asked Susan. Harry shrugged. He really didn't care. If those two persisted, a few embarrassing hexes should make them go away.

Once they reached Kings Cross station, they got down to meet the people waiting for them. Harry had told Sirius that he wanted to go to Potter Castle for a couple of days and then he would join him for the rest of the holidays. After a goodbye to each other, Harry was about to use his portkey to go home when he was suddenly grabbed in a hug. Being grabbed like that did not bring back pleasant memories for him and he cast a wandless banishing charm on the person and flicked his wand to his hand. What he saw was who he guessed to be Molly Weasley being helped up by her children. Her face was as red as her hair at bring pushed down in public, but she smiled and looked at Harry and said, "It's so good to finally meet you Harry dear. Ron has told me so much about you in his letters. How was the first term? Did you enjoy your experience at Hogwarts? I don't think a young boy like you should be spending Christmas alone; so come along. You can come with us to the Burrow. You and Ron can share a room. Ginny is so eager to meet you, isn't that right dear? Come along Harry" she said and grabbed his hand.

Molly Weasley was told by Albus Dumbledore to make sure that Harry came to the Burrow for Christmas. This would also give her a chance to introduce the boy to Ginny. She thought that if her daughter could marry the boy, she could finally live in luxury and her family won't be the subject of scorn by the majority of wizarding Britain. If Harry wasn't interested in Ginny, well a love potion would clear that up. It was what she had done to her husband Arthur and look how well their marriage turned out! She was snapped out of her daydream when she felt a wand poking her. She turned to find a pissed off Harry Potter, pointing his wand at her.

"Mrs Weasley, I don't know what anyone has told you, but startling someone by hugging them before even being introduced is inappropriate. Some people might even consider it as an attack and retaliate. That being said, I don't know what your son has informed you but we're not friends. And I'm not about to take off to a house of strangers just because you say so. I already have a house, which is where I would be going. And how I spend my Yule holidays is none of your concern, as I'm not answerable to you. Now, good day" he said.

Molly Weasley's face turned purple. "Now see here young man, I'm a mother of seven and I won't be spoken to that way. You obviously need a motherly figure and-"

She was cut short when the temperature dropped. People around turned to look at the sight of the Boy Who Lived pointing his wand between the eyes of Molly Weasley. The people around could hear the cold tone of Harry Potter when he said, "I'm not your son Mrs Weasley. Don't think you can drag me to your house just because you demand it. And don't EVER think that I need a motherly figure in my life. No one can replace my mother. She was so bloody brilliant that she outsmarted Voldemort, figured out a way to stop the _Avada Kedarva_ curse and sacrificed her life without hesitation so that she could save her son's life. You dare try to step into her shoes? I will _never_ allow it". He touched his ring and portkeyed away. People were now staring at the Weasley matriarch with narrowed eyes while many started whispering. Molly Weasley turned red with anger and embarrassment and headed to the floo with her children.

Harry spent the rest of the evening flying with Aquila so that he could calm down. His thunderbird familiar always seemed to know what to say to get him to quench his anger. After having a long conversation with him, Harry entered the Castle and headed to his study. He had overheard Granger and Weasley a few days back and had to make sure that what he heard wasn't true. He took a piece of parchment and quill and wrote.

 _Dear Mr and Mrs Flamel,_

 _My name is Hadrian Potter, and I'm the great-great-grandson of William and Isabel Potter, who as you remember were your ex-students. I'm a first-year student at Hogwarts and I recently found that Albus Dumbledore might be hiding your Philosopher's stone in the school. I don't know if this is true, but I do know that there is a plot here because Headmaster Dumbledore announced publicly on the night of the opening feast that a certain corridor is out of bounds unless you want to die a most painful death._

 _There have been two attempts on my life in the few months I have been there and I'm sure people think that such an object may be present at Hogwarts. I just thought it might be prudent to inform you as I have no idea if you have your property or if it's with Dumbledore. I have spoken to the portraits of my ancestors and they had nothing but the best things to say about you._

 _It is for that reason that I decided to write this letter. I'm sorry to have bothered you if the trap set by Albus Dumbledore is a ruse, but if it isn't, I just wanted to inform you so that you can make any important decision soon. Such a device could be dangerous in the wrong hands, even in the hands of those who have portrayed themselves to be trusted._

 _Best Regards,_

 _Lord Hadrian J Potter_

 _Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter_

He put the letter in an envelope and went to Hedwig. "This is going to be a long flight girl. And they probably have anti-mail wards too. Be careful, and in case you can't find them, come back. I can find some other way to deliver the letter to them" he said stroking her feathers. Hedwig hooted, nibbled his finger and took off into the night sky.

After seeing her disappear, he had a light dinner and proceeded to the dungeons. After passing through several doors where he had to say the password in parseltongue, he finally entered the place where the prisoners were kept. "Wakey wakey everyone. I'm back from school! Aren't you going to welcome me?" he asked in a fake cheerful voice.

The frail and broken looking bodies of Vernon, Petunia and Marge Dursley slowly woke up with a groan. They didn't know where they were, or how long they had been here. As they opened their eyes, they found Harry Potter before them. "YOU!" bellowed Vernon. "What the hell are you doing here freak? I thought you were dead for good! You should-AHHH!" Vernon suddenly found that the bones in his hand had exploded. The pain was terrible.

"I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen, you too Marge. After all that you three have put me through, did you really think I would forget about you? You beat me up daily, you made me crawl around the house in pain, you whipped me, made your dog bite me and tear the flesh from my leg, hit me on the head with a frying pan, you placed red hot iron rods on my back and butt, made me sleep in a cupboard, starved me for weeks, insulted my parents while at the same time stole a quarter of a million pounds from them which was given for my care, lied to me, you stabbed me with the intention of killing me, and, well you get the picture. I wasn't about to let you live your lives without compensation, now was I?" he asked with a dark grin on his face.

"What are you blabbering about you freak? I knew you were like this, a criminal. It's all in the breeding; if there's something wrong with the bitch there's something wrong with the-AHHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP!" screamed Marge Dursley. The other two backed away due to fear. Bone after bone was being shattered in her body, causing almighty pain. Some of the broken bones impacted her nerves, causing her more pain. Finally, it stopped but the pain was still present. "Don't you ever call me a freak, muggle. You're the freak, not me. I'm a wizard, Marge. That means I can do magic. Oh yes, magic is real, and my parents were magical too, that's why your brother and sister-in-law hate me and my parents so much. You dare try to insult my parents?" he said, looking at the wide-eyed and whimpering form of the woman.

"And now, we have our dear Petunia, the harpy who spews her hate on a defenceless, innocent baby. You know something interesting? The Aurors, who are the wizarding equivalent of Scotland Yard and MI-5 had come to your house more than three months ago for your arrest. I had finally shown the British Wizarding world how their precious saviour grew up. And they were so angry that they ousted Albus Dumbledore from his Chief Warlock post and his International position. Good thing the vote was called in immediately. If they had delayed it, Dumbledore would have bribed and blackmailed the members of the Wizengamot to keep his posts. He's too powerful to be taken down that easily. Luckily he didn't have the time to do that. But he still retained his Wizengamot seat, thanks to his Order of Merlin. He made sure your case and his inquiry were forgotten. You would have probably been in a holding cell for a few months or a year and then let go. After all, if he tried to have you brought to court, his case would be opened as well, so it was beneficial to both of you! And it was also a subtle attempt to inform me that he had not lost all his power. But I wasn't about to have that, now was I?"

"So I asked my faithful house elves to bring you here. Really, my elves wanted to kill you immediately for what you did to me, as they adore me a lot. I have a very soft spot for house elves, seeing as I was treated worse than an abused elf for six years. But I decided to be patient. You have been here for more than three months, with very little food and water. But not to worry, I'm going to increase the fun here, as I'm sure you're all immensely bored. So shall we begin?" he asked, flicking his ebony and thunderbird wand to his hand, his green eyes glowing.

After half an hour of torture, the three Dursleys crumpled on the ground, shaking badly. Harry slowly left the room, but at the door, he paused and said, "Oh I forgot to mention that Dudley was beaten up by a pack of goons, to his death. His body was then tossed into the Thames. No one knows about it as his body wasn't found. The neighbours in Privet Drive think Vernon is a human trafficker and that he raped and murdered his nephew, and when the Police found out you all decided to run. No one's going to miss you. I'll see you in six months. Enjoy your stay in Potter Castle!" he said and left, just as he heard a scream of denial.

Harry quickly made his way to his room and collapsed in his bed and sobbed his heart out. He knew he had released the dark side in him today. Harry wasn't delusional to think he was light. He could kill when needed. That's why he had not felt very guilty about killing Quirrell. Sure, he felt bad, but the man had tried to get him killed twice. If not for his precious thunderbird familiar and his own skill, he probably would be dead. But the Dursleys were a different story. They were so bigoted that they still thought what they did was right. How many muggleborn children suffered the same fate as he did? At least in Wizarding Britan, the Ministry of Magic integrated the muggleborns. But in those countries which completely separated from their muggle counterparts like Magical United States, India, China and Russia, the muggleborns probably died in massive numbers due to the muggles, which was unacceptable. But considering the Salem Witch Trials, he could understand MACUSA's paranoia in keeping away from the muggles.

His crying increased when he mused if he was just like Voldemort. He had been working on unravelling his memories and he found himself acting more or less like him. He hiccupped and came to the conclusion that he wasn't like Voldemort. That man was crazy. Voldemort didn't mind destroying the entire magical world to sit on top of the food chain. He didn't care about anyone but himself. Harry wasn't like that. Harry cared about his magical counterparts a great deal. He had a vision for the future he hoped he could implement. He would strive to create a world worth living in. Harry deeply respected other magical creatures too. They would not be hunted like they were now or had been hunted before. He would provide a home for them as well. Yes, he would, he thought determinately as he slipped off into sleep.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Thank you for your reviews. I would like to clarify something as one of the reviewers said that Harry didn't seem too powerful because he fainted after killing the troll, so let me make you understand in this way. Harry's peers are learning to crawl, while he is learning to walk at a fast pace when suddenly he is forced to run a marathon. Harry put a lot of magic into his spells to get through the Troll's hide which is somewhat resistant to spells (remember that the Troll was thrown back to the entrance of the Great Hall, so that required a lot of power). He is still eleven years old, and using that much magic for the first time made him weak. But he realises that and does his best to improve himself.

Also allow me to tell you about the status of Harry and Daphne's relationship. They have become good friends over the previous months and are comfortable with each other as close friends are. Both Harry and Daphne are introverts; they prefer to read a book than socialise and so they both appear cold and aloof to others. This similar personality draws them both together even while being friends. They may be friends with the others like Neville, Tracy, etc; but they are closest to each other (a fact which they may or may not have realised).

Next chapter, Daphne finds out about the contract!

Please review and thanks for the support!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Daphne Greengrass was happy to be home again. Just after dinner, her mother had told her that she wanted to talk. So now, mother and daughter were sitting in the family living room, when her mother spoke up. "So, how was the first term? I heard you're friends with Harry Potter."

Daphne nodded, "Yes. But I just told you this an hour ago and I've been sending you letters for the last few months. So, what exactly is this about Mum?" she asked confused.

Elizabeth Greengrass blushed and took a deep breath. "Before I tell you, you need a brief lesson in history. Almost two hundred years ago, a son of one of the cadet branches of the Potter family, teamed up with others who wanted to see the family's destruction and killed all the members of the cadet lines. This incident is commonly known as the Potter Massacre. But he was unable to destroy the main line, the reason is not really known as details are sketchy and the Potters are notoriously known for being secretive, so no one knows what happened. It was several years later, that William Potter, the great-great-grandfather of your friend Harry made a contract with your ancestor Steffen Greengrass. It said that if either of the families did not have a male heir, then a marriage contract would be enacted so that no one takes advantage of either family's immense wealth or political power. And this contract has come into effect now. There is an unbreakable marriage contract between you and Harry Potter" she said softly.

Daphne stared into space as millions of thoughts went through her head. Anger, hurt, betrayal, fear were the primary ones. She was betrothed to Harry? And from the looks of it, he knew and didn't tell her about it! She swallowed as tears filled her eyes. She had always wanted to make a name for herself. She was a natural when it came to Potions and Charms and had always dreamed of being a very successful enchantress, inventing new magical devices and earning recognition all over the world. She had also thought she could take on her family's business one day and also her father's Wizengamot seat so as to enter politics. And now, she was betrothed to an international celebrity as Harry was the only known survivor of the Killing Curse, one who was a genius too. She would be forever stuck in his shadow, never being able to see the light. She didn't respond to her mother as she ran to her room, and cried. She cried for the future she could never have.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

At 5 PM the next evening, Harry flooed to Greengrass Manor. As he stepped out of the fireplace, he automatically flicked his fingers and the soot disappeared. Elizabeth Greengrass was waiting for him. He handed her a bouquet of lilies and said, "These are for you, Lady Greengrass. I thank you for welcoming me into your home."

"You're welcome Lord Potter. This way, please" she said, taking them to the drawing room. Harry bowed and said, "Lord Greengrass, it's a pleasure to meet you again. Thank you for inviting me to your home."

"The pleasure is mine, Lord Potter. Please take a seat" he said gesturing to the couch. Harry sat down, and the older man began. "I'll come straight to the point. I've been told by my account manager at Gringotts that you know that the contract is unbreakable unless we have a male heir. When I first found out, I was worried because no one knows much about you and I certainly didn't believe in those fantasy novels. But what I was deeply concerned about was if you were brainwashed by Albus Dumbledore. As you can guess, I don't trust the man and you revealed his true colours a few months ago. But that trial in September removed that fear, but the fact remains that we don't know you. That's why we wanted to get to know you and for you to become comfortable with us."

Harry nodded slowly. He could understand that, but there was one question which was prevalent in his mind. "Lord Greengrass, how did Daphne take the news?" he asked softly. He really felt bad about the whole affair. From their experiences in the last few months, Harry knew that Daphne was a very ambitious girl and had big dreams for her future. She probably thought they were crushed and he wanted to set her straight.

Cyrus looked at Elizabeth and the woman continued saying "Not well, Lord Potter. She hasn't spoken to us since last night."

Harry nodded grimly and asked, "May I speak to her? And please, call me Harry."

The adults looked at each other and nodded, and the older woman showed Harry to the garden where Daphne was sitting under a tree, reading a book. Harry slowly approached her, and sat down next to her and said, "Hey Daphne."

The girl's demeanour didn't change, but she turned and gave him her already famous icy stare and in her cold voice said, "Lord Potter" and went back to her book. Harry could see that her eyes were bloodshot, either from crying or lack of sleep he couldn't say. But he slowly enhanced his magic and took a peek into her mind, just to scan her surface thoughts. He knew she was trained in elementary Occlumency so he didn't go deeper. After realising what was troubling her, he took his time to figure out what to say to her. He thought about if he wanted to spill some secrets but then decided since his history with the Dursleys was printed on the front page of the newspaper, he could speak about it with his future wife.

So he began. "You know, when I was growing up and before I found out about magic, my relatives used to tell me that my father was a drunk and my mother was a whore who died in a car crash. During all those years I was abused there, I promised myself that if I ever am in a position of authority, I would make sure I would create a world worth living in. I would build a society where such abuse would be reported immediately and dealt with."

"It was then that I found out that there was a shadow named Albus Dumbledore that was trying his best to control my life, and I did my best to get out of his thumb. When I was living by myself and growing up in Potter Castle, I saw to what extent the British Wizarding world had been destroyed thanks to Voldemort. So many talented people were dead, and it looked like there would be stagnation until the next generation rises."

"I truly am a Ravenclaw in that I believe only in merit. I respect only those who achieve and those who have knowledge and power. I don't have the patience to deal with idiots and incompetents. At the same time, I can't tolerate immature gits like Voldemort either, even though he is very knowledgeable. About six months ago, I found out about a marriage contract where I was to get married to this girl Daphne Greengrass, whom I had never even met. I didn't know the girl I was betrothed to, or if she could handle someone who is always cold and distant or if we could even get along at all. But there was one thing I did tell myself, that it wasn't the girl's fault for me being forced into this contract."

"It was then that I decided that I wouldn't stand in the way of her dreams. I wouldn't like it if someone stood in the way of mine, so what right do I have to stand in the way of yours, Daphne? If you're worried that I won't let you achieve your dreams of being a successful business woman, then please don't. What both the Potters and the Greengrasses have one thing in common is that we're damn good at the businesses we undertake. I would never hinder your growth, Daphne. If you want to be a part of politics, you can sit in my seat on the Wizengamot when the time comes. If you want to be an enchantress like you told me, then I would be the first person helping you. I would never hinder your growth Daphne, never."

"The truth is that even as an eleven-year-old, I have to act like an adult. Abuse makes or breaks children, and I decided that I could be either downtrodden or get up and make my own life. But there is something which I crave, something which I have always wanted which was taken away from me. You might view that marriage contract as a trap, but to me, I view it as a future where I can have a family, something I have always and would always crave for. Is that too much to ask Daphne? That you consider me family?" he asked, his face pale.

Daphne's face was pale and she was crying silently. She reached out to him and gave him a soft but firm hug. Both kids clung to each other for several seconds as her crying slowly subsided. Then Daphne took Harry's hand and said "You have a family Harry. Don't ever think that you don't. I will never leave you alone, ever. Where ever you go, whatever you do, you'll always have me by your side. This I swear" she said. Unknown to both kids, their hands glowed as Daphne's vow set in. They wouldn't realise the effect Daphne's words would have on their lives until many years later.

Harry chuckled. "That sounds so cliché. Are you sure you didn't read it out of a romance novel?" he asked.

Daphne burst out laughing and said, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Come on, let's go inside. It's freezing. I don't know what I was thinking when I came out here."

Lunch was a joyous affair. Cyrus and Elizabeth were happy that the kids had worked out their problems. Astoria was busy chatting away. Unlike Daphne, she had a more outgoing personality and was in awe of meeting the Boy Who Lived. After lunch, they proceeded to the Drawing Room where they sat and talked. Two hours later, Harry suddenly remembered something. He got up and said, "Daphne I have something for you. I can't believe it slipped my mind."

He took out a small box from the inside of his robes and opened it. Inside it was the most beautiful ring Daphne had ever seen. "This is for you. This ring has been in my family for centuries. The large centre stone is a rare blue diamond, and there are several small white diamonds surrounding it, encrusted on a platinum band. It was given by my ancestor Raphael Potter to his wife Aradia Peverell in the early fourteenth century. From what I've read, she was a spell crafter and enchantress, and it is said that she herself had enchanted this ring with protection spells and such. That's why I want you to have it. What do you think?" he asked nervously.

Daphne stared at the ring in the box. Her voice shook as she said, "Thank you for thinking of presenting me with something so special, Harry. I'm honoured."

Harry took out the ring and looked at her father. He smiled and nodded, and Harry took a deep breath and put the ring on her left ring finger. The ring flashed and resized to fit her finger. Daphne immediately grabbed her betrothed and hugged him. Harry immediately stiffened, but slowly put his arms around her to return the hug. Astoria squealed in delight as she asked her older sister to show her the ring. Daphne smiled and showed it to her sister and mother. Cyrus took Harry aside and said, "Congratulations Harry. I can see you're trying your best to keep my daughter happy. Do that and we'll have no problems with each other. But if you break her heart, you'll have to deal with me."

Harry smiled and nodded. He thought about something and said, "Now that the contract has been enacted, it would become public record in the Hall of Records in the Ministry. It won't be very long before the media get their hands on it. I'm not sure how people are going to react to it."

Cyrus nodded "I don't doubt that everyone would be happy. I'm already sure Lord Malfoy and Lord Nott would be pissed. But I do have to say that I'm relieved. It looks like William Potter and Steffen Greengrass really did know what they were doing" he said grinning.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry spent Christmas day and the following days in the presence of his godfather in Black Manor. Sirius had first thought of going to his childhood home in London but had decided against it as he didn't want to remember the bad memories associated with the place. The Black Lord was doing much better than the last time Harry had seen him in person, but Sirius was still going to a mind healer to come to terms with what had happened. On Christmas day, Harry gave Sirius something he thought his godfather definitely needed.

"Sirius I know how much you hate Kreacher, and you said the hate is mutual and that he may try to kill you, so my gift to you are Floppy, Twinkie, Daisy and Lucky." Immediately four house elves popped next to him and said happily "Hello Master Sirius."

Sirius was elated as he didn't have to deal with Kreacher and immediately bonded them to the Black family on their request. Harry explained that they were being abused in a pub in Knockturn Ally, and had helped free them. The elves wanted a master, and Harry had thought of his godfather. The elves were overjoyed, thanked them both and immediately started cleaning the large manor that had been run down.

"Thanks, Harry. Now, for your gift, I want you to sit down and close your eyes, okay? Don't open them until I say so" he said and left the room. He noticed after a minute that the older man had come back. "Okay kiddo, open your eyes now."

Harry opened his eyes to find a puppy wagging its tail. It barked and leapt onto Harry and started licking his face. Harry was shocked and started laughing. He never, in a million years would have imagined that Sirius would buy him a dog!

"He's a Crup Harry, a magical dog. I had to get a license to buy him. I'm sure he'll bring some joy in your life. Besides, every boy needs a dog" he said grinning.

Harry laughed as the crup sat on his lap and wagged his tail. "Thank you so much, Padfoot. This is an amazing gift. He needs a name, doesn't he? Hm, what to call you? How about Tango?" he asked the puppy. The crup barked and wagged his tail. Sirius smiled as he watched Harry laugh and play with his new friend. It was so difficult to make Harry smile and not be so cold as he always was.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

On the evening of the 29th of December, Remus Lupin stepped out of the fireplace in Black Manor. He was greeted by a House Elf that showed him to the formal drawing room. Remus of in awe of the wealth and splendour of the place; he had forgotten what large manors were like, as Potter Manor was the only home of an Ancient House he had visited. As he entered, he saw his friend Sirius pacing. When he entered, Sirius turned, gave him a small smile, and told Remus to sit on the couch. They sat for a minute in silence, but Remus felt someone was watching him. He turned to look at a young boy and gasped. This had to Harry, he thought. When he had agreed to meet Harry, he expected the boy to look exactly like his friend James, with Lily's eyes. But that face wasn't what was staring back at him. He was looking at a tall, extremely good looking boy, his emerald eyes glowing with controlled power. This was no ordinary eleven year old. He shivered when he looked at the cold expression on the boy's face. The happiness and mirth he remembered seeing on Harry's face when he was a baby were nowhere in sight.

Sirius decided to break the silence. "How have you been Remus?" he asked.

The man shrugged, "Okay I guess. I've been abroad, working in the muggle world, since, you know, no one in the wizarding world wants to hire me. I was completely cut off from Britain and only came yesterday after Dumbledore called me back and to meet you both" he said.

There was silence in the room as turned to Harry face the window, looking at the overgrown gardens around the manor as he said, "Oh? And what did Albus Dumbledore want with you?"

Remus again shivered involuntarily at the icy tone and replied, "Well, he told me that Sirius was declared innocent, and that both of you hold a grudge against him, and that he only wanted the best for you. I think he's right. You should trust him, Harry; Dumbledore is a great man and knows best."

Sirius winced as the temperature dropped. As a Black, he was from a notoriously dark family and could recognise that his godson wasn't as light as the public thought. Harry was definitely grey. That's why he was trying his best to be as supportive and comforting as possible, but at the same time did not intrude in his godson's business. It was too late for him to develop a father-son bond with Harry. All he was trying to be was Harry's friend. Not the first time he was glad Amelia had insisted he go to all those sessions with a mind healer. He probably would have been a reckless, insane man, thinking Harry was exactly like James and that preconceived notion would have destroyed any hope of friendship with his godson.

Harry said nothing. He called out to his elf. Remus heard a pop, and a dignified house elf looked up and said, "What can Toby do for you, Master Hadrian?"

"Toby can you please bring a copy of the newspaper of the 5th of September to our guest here?" he asked. The elf nodded and came back with the paper. Remus took the paper and his face paled when he saw the headlines. "You, you were abused and stabbed? How are you still alive?" he asked shocked.

Harry suddenly turned around and shot back. "That's the question you want to ask? How about you tell me where the hell you've been for the past 10 years? You said you were cut off from Britain. May I ask why? Couldn't you even bother to try to find the only child of your best friend? Before you start about werewolf discrimination, you could have at the very least, sent me a letter after I started Hogwarts, introducing yourself and telling me that you were my father's best friend and asking if I wanted to know more about them. Did it ever cross your mind that as an orphan, I don't remember my parents? And I would also like for you to answer me, did you just let Albus Dumbledore kidnap me and place me with Petunia Dursley without any hesitation? You were supposed to me my mother's friend! Didn't you know how much that bitch hated my mother? Did you ever care if I would be treated well there? But no, Albus Dumbledore said it was best, therefore there would be no question in the matter. Finally, tell me why I should trust you when you knowing that Sirius wasn't the Secret Keeper, didn't say a word. What a bunch of friends you had Sirius, one who worked for Voldemort and another who worked for Dumbledore. Between each other, the two old men brought about the near destruction of the Potter family!" he shouted.

Harry had never lost so much control in recent years. The air was thick, and the weather outside started to get worse. Dark clouds loomed over and heavy rain lashed against the windows, claps of thunder could be heard and they could see several flashes of lightning. Harry himself was glowing, his hair was pure white, and small lightning bolts surrounded his body gave him a deadly appearance. It was hard to believe he was an eleven-year-old boy.

Remus was white as a sheet. He couldn't believe this was the innocent baby he had seen all those years ago. He gathered all his courage and replied. "You have to understand Harry that I did want to contact you. But I figured that I hadn't seen you in so many years, that you might not want to be associated with me. And about your placement with the Dursleys, Dumbledore told me that was what was mentioned in James and Lily's will. And that being with Petunia would keep you safe. So I figured that while you may not be happy with Petunia, at least you would be safe from the Death Eaters. And what do you mean I knew about the Secret Keeper, I didn't know it was Pettigrew!" he shouted.

Harry got angrier. May not be happy, but for the best? That was his defence? And again, he spewed his werewolf sob story for not contacting him. It looked like that was his only defence. It looked like Lupin would never leave Dumbledore's side. As his anger increased, another flash of lightning tore through a tree on the grounds as it caught fire. Sirius and Remus gasped. Was this storm related to Harry? Such a phenomenon was unheard of. Remus shook his head. There was no way Harry could do that. Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard ever and even he couldn't do such an amazing feat of magic.

"Do you remember the Wolfsbane Potion my mother used to send you every month during the war? In the last week of October 1981 when the Fidelius charm had been set up, you were not there as usual, as you had the habit of disappearing for long periods of time without telling your friends. I don't know how she did it, but she kept sending you the potion, don't you remember? That particular batch also had a letter, where she had informed you, in her own handwriting, that Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper. She had charmed it in such a way that only you could open the letter. So, what's your excuse this time?" asked Harry.

Sirius was furious. "What the hell is going on? You knew this whole time?" he asked with disbelief. Remus shook his head and said "I didn't know about the letter. The package arrived as usual but I wasn't supposed to take it for a few more days. By that time I had heard about James and Lily being murdered. In my anger I destroyed the package, I swear. I thought that Sirius was the Secret Keeper."

Harry laughed a loud, mocking laugh. "Bravo Mr Lupin. And what did that accomplish? The end result was Sirius being locked away in Azkaban for 10 years. I was beaten up, tortured and enslaved for the majority of my childhood. If you had seen that letter and given it to someone like Alastor Moody, the end result could have been different. Instead, you sat on your arse and let it all happen, and after the incident you, what was it? Oh yeah, cut off all contact with Britain."

Remus was boiling mad now too. What did the boy know about the horrors of being a werewolf? It was only because of the kindness of Albus Dumbledore that he even had a wand! But before he could reply, Harry cut him off. "But that is the past. You have two options Mr Lupin. You and I can never have the sort of relationship you probably thought of when I was a baby. That chance was shot long ago. What you can do is answer me this. Where does your loyalty lie? With your friends or with Dumbledore?" he asked.

Remus snarled and said, "You may have had a tough life Harry, but so have I. Did it ever cross your mind that it was because of Albus Dumbledore that you might still be alive? That he really does want what's best for you? That man took me in when no one else would have! He's done so much for me, and you expect me to forget all that? What next? Are you going to proclaim that Dumbledore is evil and Voldemort is good? Your parents would be ashamed to see you disrespect such a great man as Albus Dumbledore. Someone has brainwashed you, can't you see that? Who is it? The Malf-"

That was all he was able to say, as he was thrown across the room. Harry's face was filled with fury and his wand was pointed at Lupin's chest. "Harry! Don't! Please, calm down" said Sirius. Out of nowhere, a voice entered his mind. " _Calm down little one. I can feel your distress and anger. I'm guessing that man has betrayed you. But don't do anything you would later regret. Calm down, Harry. You still have others who care about you. Calm down"_ said the voice of Aquila. Harry closed his eyes and used his Occlumency to bury his emotions. He breathed deeply for a few minutes. Once he felt he was back in control, he lowered his wand and put his emotionless mask back on. He turned to his godfather. "Sirius, it's your choice if you want to be friends with this man. Just because I don't want anything to do with him doesn't mean that you should too. But please don't try to make me forgive him. I won't be able to handle it" he said.

He paused at the doorway and turned to look at Remus who was getting back to his feet. "You keep saying that Albus Dumbledore is everything to you. You forget that while he may have allowed you into the school, it was your friends that helped you through the years. James Potter and Sirius Black did not have any obligation to befriend you, but they did. They did not have to become animagi so that they could keep you company during the full moon nights so that you didn't injure yourself as you normally would, but they did. Lily Potter did not have to spend money and brew Wolfsbane Potion for you every month so that you didn't have to suffer like you always do, but she did. And finally, James and Lily Potter did not have any obligation to leave a hundred thousand galleons and a house for you in their last will, but they did. If after all this, you still take the side of Albus Dumbledore over your friends, then there is no difference between you and Pettigrew. The rat's action killed James and Lily Potter. Your inaction put Sirius Black and me in prison. The rat was a spy for Voldemort, but you're a spy for Dumbledore. You'll be getting the official letter from Gringotts about the money and property transfer. The least you can do is honour my parents' memories and accept it. Goodbye" he said and headed for the floo and headed home.

Remus sat down on the couch just as tears rolled down his face. He closed his eyes just as the ramifications of his actions sunk in. While he loved his friends and was grateful for them, how could he turn his back on Dumbledore? That was something he couldn't do.

Sirius looked at his old friend with sad eyes. He couldn't believe that this was the end result of their friendship. He would agree that he had always been closer to James than any soul alive; they had been like identical twins. They were cousins and had met several times growing up and being in the same dorm at Hogwarts just cemented that bond. But they had never treated Remus or Peter as outsiders. He sighed. He would have to think about the next course of action. He didn't want to make a hasty decision like he had before. Maybe he could talk to Amelia; she always gave him good advice. He walked out of the room to leave Remus to his thoughts.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** I know I'm going to get bashed by people who like Remus Lupin, so I would like to explain as to why I took the story in this direction. In book 3, when Lupin taught Harry the Patronus charm and they discussed Harry's parents, did the man even once say that he was one of Harry's father's best friends? Did he ever talk about James and Lily to Harry? The boy was an orphan, who didn't know anything about his parents or family, so did he ever try to fill the role of a guardian, at least to honour the memory of his late friend?

When Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, where was he? Sirius survived on _rats_ so that he could help his godson in the time of need. Why didn't Lupin come to the castle to help Harry prepare or at least give some advice on what to study for the tasks?

In Book 5, when Molly Weasley kept berating and insulting Sirius, why didn't he defend his only friend? If a person who escaped prison and was on the run like Sirius could find some random bird to send a message to his godson, couldn't Lupin in Book 6 send even one letter to comfort the boy who was filled with guilt over Sirius's death?

And in Book 7, did Lupin leave his wife and unborn child alone, so that he could die valiantly for the cause? He always said he was too dangerous, so was he not a danger to Harry, Ron and Hermione during the hunt? I believe Remus Lupin is a poor friend. While Peter Pettigrew was guilty by action, Remus Lupin was guilty by inaction.

In my opinion, Remus Lupin would always be swallowed up by him being a werewolf and he can't come out of that mindset. He didn't say anything about Harry's home life even though Harry had always hinted about abuse. He would always be very loyal to Dumbledore who gave him an opportunity to be a wizard. I'm not sure if Dumbledore was doing it out of magnanimity or if he saw it as an opportunity. The war was already in full swing during the 1970s and here was a young werewolf; a perfect spy into Voldemort's forces.

In this story, Harry has suffered _tremendously_ at the hands of the Dursleys, so he's not going to forgive Lupin. But he does understand that to the man, Dumbledore is God himself. So instead of having an unhealthy relationship, he makes it a clean break, and he does not stop Sirius from accepting Lupin back as his friend either; that shows he isn't as rigid or inflexible. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but this is my opinion on the matter.

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Harry entered a compartment of the Hogwarts Express. The past few days had been a roller-coaster ride. He was so glad that Aquila had calmed him down during that confrontation with Lupin. He had spent the next half an hour flying in the storm, while the large Thunderbird tried to calm him down. The next few days were spent in isolation, with no contact from anybody as he worked on his Occlumency. He didn't want to lose control like he had. And he had started accessing small parts of Voldemort's memories which showed his wide range of spells he had learnt from all over the world. He would have to learn them himself, but at least he knew where to look and could easily master them. Completely receiving Voldemort's knowledge was too easy. Harry still had a long way to go, but he was confident he would get there.

He sat down on the seat, enlarged his trunk, and removed Tango, his Crup from the cage. The puppy barked and licked Harry's face. He smiled and petted the dog. Slowly, people started entering the train. A few minutes later, Daphne entered with a wide smile. "Hey Harry, I lo-wait, is that a Crup? When did you get one? He's so cute!" she said.

Tango wagged his tail and licked Daphne's fingers. "This is Sirius's gift to me. I named him Tango. He really is adorable, isn't he? By the way, did you like my gift?" he asked.

Daphne's eyes lit up. "I love it. Thank you so much, Harry. I wear it every day, see?" she said showing the heart shaped diamond bracelet that Harry had got her. "And the wand holster was incredibly thoughtful. Did you like our gift?" she asked.

Harry's smiled "I loved it. But you didn't have to spend so much and buy me a Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick. I would have been happy with a simple book or candy" he said. Harry still wasn't used to receiving presents. He had been really touched when his godfather had got him a dog and the Greengrasses had bought him a broomstick. While he preferred to use his eagle form to fly, he couldn't play Quidditch without the broom. Aquila had more than once said how odd it was that broomsticks didn't have wings.

When the rest of them started to arrive, both Harry and Daphne went back to their expressionless mask. They may have decided to show their true selves to each other, but that didn't mean they would do so in front of their friends. They had discussed that a few days ago. While they considered the others friends, it didn't discount the fact that Harry and Daphne preferred to be alone. They may consider the others as friends, but to Harry and Daphne, it meant they were closer to them than the others in school, nothing more. The others all found Tango to be very adorable, and that's when Neville came in holding a newspaper.

"Guys, is it true that you're betrothed? The whole train is buzzing. The Prophet came out just now, and its front page news. Here, take a look" he said handing the paper to them. Harry and Daphne groaned when they saw the paper. They had been hoping it would stay secret for some more time.

 _BOY WHO LIVED BETROTHED TO GREENGRASS HEIRESS_

 _By Rita Skeeter_

 _It has come to the notice of this reporter that Hadrian James Potter, the Boy Who Lived and Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter is betrothed to Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass, Heiress Presumptive of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass._

 _The marriage contract seems to have been drawn up in the year 1824 by William Potter and Steffen Greengrass and it seems to have been implemented by the two eleven-year-olds. The exact nature of the contract has not been revealed, but many have speculated that it took effect due to Lady Daphne being the Heiress of House Greengrass._

 _Are Lord Potter and Lady Daphne happy being betrothed to each other? Or will this relationship cause problems for them as well as the power chain in Wizengamot? This reporter will work towards finding out more about how our beloved hero feels about being trapped in a contract with a girl he might not be interested in._

Daphne's eye twitched. "It looks like Rita's quill strikes again. I can't believe it. She makes it sound like I've blackmailed you into the contract or something to that effect" she said.

Harry nodded. It looked like he had to be careful with this woman. He needed more information about Rita Skeeter before he did anything. One wrong move would send him back a long way. She was far more dangerous than he had anticipated. She could very easily turn the entire country against him with one article, as she used the sheep mentality of the wizarding public to her advantage. He couldn't let her do anything that would undermine him in the future.

Before he could reply, the door of the compartment was yanked open and Draco Malfoy came in, with a furious expression on his face. "What is the meaning of this Greengrass? I told you that I was going to be your future husband! Now you've gone and betrothed to Potter behind my back! Just wait till my father hears about this, he'll ensure you and I are together" he said pompously.

"Draco, Draco, Draco" said Harry. Malfoy swallowed, as he looked at the taller boy. His father had punished him during the holidays for the incident with Potter in September. The Malfoys could not afford to antagonise the Ancient families and Draco had allowed Potter to twist his words, making it difficult to approach Lord Greengrass for the betrothal contract. Not that it mattered now, he thought morosely.

"Cousin, you seem to be under the delusion that Daphne would have agreed to your pathetic attempts to get her to agree to your demands. But if you had bothered to read that article, you would have seen that our betrothal contract is give or take a few decades, two hundred years old and unbreakable. So there is nothing you or your father can do. Run along now" he said, patting Draco on the cheek and closing the door, locking it with a _Colloportus_ charm.

Neville snickered. "It looks like the Malfoys are pissed" he said.

"Oh, he definitely is. My dad was laughing his arse off when he told me that he was avoiding Malfoy like the plague. It seems Lucius wanted some business that our family owns and he was pestering my dad about it. But Harry's stunt made him very cautious while dealing with my dad. Father was ranting about how Harry should have been in Slytherin and not Ravenclaw" said Tracy grinning.

Harry smirked. They spent the next few hours talking and playing games, and in Harry and Daphne's case reading a book. But the peace was not to last as Granger and Weasley tried to open the door. After Weasley couldn't open it, Granger cast the unlocking charm. He grinned when it didn't open, but knew it would after a few more attempts. Just as he had suspected, after trying five times, the door opened and Granger and Weasley let themselves in.

"You're not allowed to lock the doors! It's against the rules. I'll be reporting this to the prefects" said Hermione in her bossy voice.

"How could you treat my mother like that Harry? In front of everyone at the station no less?" shouted Weasley.

Harry snorted. "Look Weasley, I'm not the one who lied to your mother about me bring your best friend. You did that on your own. And excuse me if I retaliate when some stranger tries to suddenly drag me to their house without my permission. That's called _kidnapping_ Weasley, and you could have ended up in a DMLE holding cell for it. And why in Merlin's name did she think I would need a place to stay? What have you been telling her anyway? But the last straw was when she thought she had the right to take my mother's place. Let's make one thing clear, Weasley and make sure you tell this to your mother as well. Family is everything to me, and I won't stand by while she insults the memory of my deceased mother. Now get out. I was reading a book and you're disturbing me" he said.

Granger heard a growl and turned to look at the puppy who was sitting on Daphne's lap. "What is a dog doing here? You're not allowed to bring dogs! The letter specifically mentioned only an owl, cat or toad. You're going to be in so much trouble for this!" she screeched.

"What is your problem, Granger? Why do you keep trying to annoy us like this? Can't you just go away and read some book like you always do? And stop screeching like a harpy, you'll damage our hearing" said Tracy.

"Shut up you filthy snake! Don't speak to Hermione like that" shouted Ron.

Just as Harry decided to just send them away, Granger had read the headlines on the front page of the Daily Prophet lying on the seat. "You're getting married? You can't do that! It's illegal!" she screeched.

Everyone groaned, so Harry took out his wand, and sent silencing spells at Granger and Weasley. He then sent a low powered banishing charm on them which made them stumble out of the compartment. He waved his wand again and the door locked itself with a very strong locking charm. Hermione Granger would not be able to break it this time.

Everyone laughed when they saw the two shout and throw a tantrum but no sound came out of their mouths. They finally had enough and stomped away to their compartment. Once they reached Hogsmeade, they rode the Thestral drawn carriages to the castle. The others found it creepy that only Harry and Neville could see the creatures and they couldn't. Many people were staring at Harry and Daphne, no doubt wondering if they were indeed betrothed. After the feast, they went to their dorms for the night. He removed the doggy bed from his trunk and placed it in the corner and applied the standard cushioning and warming charms on it. Tango wagged his tail, barked and settled himself in his new bed.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next day at breakfast, Professor McGonagall called him to her office where Harry found Hermione Granger sitting with a superior expression on her face. Harry rolled his eyes; he was really getting tired of this. Professor McGonagall sat down and stared at Harry and said, "Mr Potter, I have received disturbing complaints about you threatening students, reading books on the dark arts, cursing fellow students and taking part in an illegal activity. Care to elaborate?" she asked.

"Yes Professor. I would like Miss Granger here to tell you in her own words exactly what she thought was her reasoning behind all those allegations. Care to elaborate Miss Granger?" asked Harry.

Hermione sniffed and said, "Professor, during the train journey to London, Harry pointed his wand and threatened Ron and I saying that he would curse us. He was also reading a book that I didn't recognise, so the book he was reading was obviously unauthorised and it may be the dark arts as he gets every spell right before I do. He obviously is getting extra help for that right? It's cheating and I told him that I would report it. Yesterday, he silenced Ron and I and pushed us out of the compartment and locked it! He shouldn't have locked the door, it's against the rules. He has brought a dog as well Professor, while the letter we received said we could only bring an owl, a cat or a toad. And he's going to marry that Daphne Greengrass girl. He's not of age, it's illegal!"

Professor McGonagall closed her eyes and sighed. She looked at the amused expression on Harry's face and asked, "Mr Potter is all this true?"

"Yes Professor" he said much to the shock of Granger. "But I have to clarify. During the first train ride, Weasley and Granger barged into our compartment and started calling my friends evil for being Slytherins. I got annoyed but didn't use any spells. Yesterday, they came in and started shouting again, and so to preserve my sanity I cast the silencing charm on them and locked the door. The door could have been opened by any prefect. And yes, I do own a Crup, he's a gift from Sirius and I have a license as well. His name is Tango and is still a puppy. Daphne and I being betrothed is self-explanatory, and as for the book I was reading, here" he said, giving the book to McGonagall.

The Professor looked at the book and said, "Battle Transfiguration? 'Property of James Charlus Potter'. Wait, isn't this the same book that I gifted James for his seventeenth birthday? I'm surprised that you can even understand what is in this book Mr Potter. If you have trouble understanding the concepts, don't hesitate to ask me. You clearly have a gift when it comes to this subject. Anyway, five points from Ravenclaw for using the silencing charm on a fellow student. And twenty points to Ravenclaw for using a spell taught in the fourth year! I'll be sure to mention this to Filius. He'll be ever so pleased!"

She returned the book to him and addressed Granger and said, "Miss Granger. While I admire you for coming to me about a student breaking the rules, you really should have done your research. Reading a book isn't a crime. Only if the staff believe that the student is reading explicit dark material do we intervene, but even then, the student might probably be studying for an apprenticeship or mastery in Defence against the Dark Arts. While owls and cats and toads are recommended, many of them don't exactly follow it. We witches and wizards have more of a connection with animals than our muggle counterparts so there are no rules against bringing a crup, a magical dog to the school. Only if the animals are dangerous will the staff punish the student. Just because Mr Potter gets a spell right before you do doesn't mean that he has dwelled into the dark arts. And about the betrothal between Mr Potter and Miss Greengrass, as your Head of House, I would deeply advice you not to involve yourself in the affairs of the Ancient Houses; it won't end well for you. I suggest you read more of them in the library. I would also like to tell you now that the laws in the wizarding world are different from those in the muggle world. Please don't accuse someone without knowing what you're talking about. You may both go now."

Hermione looked betrayed, and she furiously marched away. Harry simply shook his head at her stupidity and went to attend Potions. He hoped that she would not try it again. At the end of the day, Professor Flitwick informed him that the Headmaster wanted to meet him. So Harry found himself seated opposite to Albus Dumbledore.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus looked at the boy in front of him. His plan for him to befriend the Weasleys hadn't worked. But he should have known better. Molly Weasley wouldn't know subtlety if it bit her in the arse. But it was the incident with Remus Lupin that troubled him. He knew the werewolf would never betray him. Ah, it was so nice to have loyal pawns. If only Severus had not been sent to Azkaban, he mused to himself. The test he had set for Harry Potter seemed useless now, as Quirrell had died in the attempt at getting past the Cerberus. His mangled body showed signs of dark magic, and it had confirmed his suspicions that Voldemort had indeed possessed him. But he expected him to be smarter in acquiring the stone. 'Ah, how far you've fallen, Tom. You were probably the best student I've ever taught. But not to worry old boy, you and I still have time. After Harry's death, I'm sure you'll regret everything you have done and take back the name Tom Riddle. Maybe I can convince you to take the name Tom Dumbledore instead. I've always wanted a son. Then I can prepare you to become the next leader of the light and I'll be the most famous and powerful wizard since Merlin' he thought.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Harry saying, "What can I do for you Headmaster?"

Albus cleared his throat and said, "Ah yes my boy. I've heard disturbing rumours that you're studying and practicing the dark arts. This is a serious allegation Harry, and I'm bound by the rules to check your possessions to ensure that it is not the case."

Before Harry could speak up, Flitwick spoke up. "Those allegations were made by a jealous, eleven-year-old girl Headmaster. Minerva has already spoken to both Miss Granger and Mr Potter and has verified that he wasn't reading any dark arts books. The book in question was actually a birthday gift given by Minerva to James Potter. So there is no need for an enquiry as it has already been done."

Albus was annoyed. Here was a perfect opportunity to search Harry's belongings and it had been snatched away. He could search them without cause of course, but if he did find something, he would have to explain why he was searching the boy's trunk in the first place. The old families would not hesitate to pounce on him as their heirs probably had family heirlooms with them, and they were secret and not to be shown to others.

"I watched the Pensieve memory of your meeting with Remus Lupin and I must confess that I'm very disappointed in you Harry. He was one of your father's best friends and attacking him like you did was not fair. Your parents would be very disappointed in you. You must learn to _forgive_ my boy. The world is filled with _sacrifice_ and unless you are willing to do that, life is going to be tough indeed." he said, choosing his words carefully. After all, Harry had to sacrifice his life for the greater good, so Harry had to forgive Dumbledore and listen to his advice.

To Dumbledore's immense surprise, Harry smiled. "I should have known that he would show you the memory Professor, it was foolish of me not to. But you have to understand that he was my father's friend, not mine. And you're right. My dad would probably be disappointed in me for the way that meeting turned out. But I doubt he would be so forgiving after discovering how his son had lived his life during his childhood. I would also like to point out that I distinctly remember telling my godfather that I would not come between him and Remus; that they could remain friends, just not to involve me. But I have to disagree with your last statement sir. We don't have to sacrifice everything to live. Our life is filled with choices. It is our choices that make our life the way it is. And we can live happily if we make the right choices, and if we do, sacrificing something to get another isn't needed. It becomes minimal and a part of life" he said softly.

Dumbledore's eye twitched. How dare his pawn not accept what was told! He was Albus Dumbledore, his philosophy was always right. What did an eleven-year-old boy know about life anyway? "You have given me a lot to think about Harry. You may go" he said. Harry nodded and left the office.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was now the middle of January and Hedwig still hadn't returned. Harry was beginning to get worried. Before he was about to get hysterical, Hedwig arrived at night on the 16th of January, carrying a letter. Harry sighed and stroked her feathers. "You gave me a fright girl. I was so worried. But you did an amazing job. Go get some rest. I'll make sure to save you some crunchy bacon tomorrow morning" he said to the bird.

Hedwig hooted tiredly and headed to the Owlery to get some well-deserved sleep. Harry opened the letter and smiled.

 _Dear Lord Potter,_

 _It is a pleasure to correspond to the decedent of William and Isabel Potter, as they were both exemplary students of ours. But we would like to get to the point and confirm that no property of ours has been taken. Albus had requested the stone to study it, but let me assure you that it is not the real one. He is not the first person to try to take the artefact away for his own gain, not will he be the last._

 _We also greatly admire your character. You had the opportunity to steal the object believing it to be genuine, but you chose to contact us instead. You are a very interesting boy, Lord Potter and we look forward to more letters from you in the future._

 _Speaking about something interesting, your owl is very special indeed. We have strong anti-mail wards around our home and we were shocked to find this beautiful snowy owl holding a letter. We have allowed her into the wards so that we can keep in contact. And please write to us in the future. It is difficult to find smart, idealistic boys these days._

 _Best Regards,_

 _Nicholas and Perenell Flamel_

 _PS: We already knew about Albus's trap before we received your letter. Here's a tip for you from two old mentors, start working on a spy network. You can never start too early._

Harry thought about the spy network. The Potters had impressive devices to spy on people. Both the Potters and the Blacks had a knack for taking out their opponents. The Blacks were feared because they were known assassins, but no one could pin the blame on them as there was no proof. But the Potters didn't bother with killing. Instead, they robbed their opponents until the other party was destitute. The best part was that no one even now knew or even suspected that the Potter family was behind it. There were large vaults in Potter Castle filled with treasures from enemies. What no one realised was that both families relied primarily on house elves.

House elves had their own brand of magic and could not be easily tracked by wizards. They used this to their advantage to track down their enemies. This was the reason behind the large number of elves bonded to the Potter family. Elves needed the bond, it was the only way they could survive and reproduce. Without the bond with a witch or wizard, they would grow weaker and die.

But right now, that wasn't his concern. He was extensively training in the Room of Requirement for the upcoming U-13 Duelling Championship. He showed Daphne the room and she was all for it. It gave her a place to study and at the same time watch him train. He had started teaching her some defence spells as well. She had received some hate mail and howlers after the Daily Prophet article, the loudest one from Molly Weasley and he didn't want her to be defenceless. He had also started training her in Occlumency.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The rest of the year went by without any problems. He was still the best in class; Horace Slughorn was still praising him and buttering him up; his training continued and the final exams were rapidly approaching. What else happened was that Harry and Daphne's relationship continued to deepen and now considered each other as best friends as well.

On Daphne's birthday in March, Harry took her to the Room of Requirement. "Close your eyes" he said to her and opened the door to the room.

Daphne, amused by his antics decided to humour him. Harry stood behind her, covered her eyes with his hands and gently led her inside the enchanted room. Daphne couldn't help but smile at Harry's effort in making it a special birthday. She could feel his warm hands on her face and it gave her Goosebumps. They may be betrothed, but Harry was also her best friend and that made her heart swell. She may be friendly with others in their year, but she considered all of them to be friendly acquaintances and she knew it was the same for Harry as well. It was quite shocking how close they had become since Yule. Unknown to her, because of the vow she had made to Harry, magic itself was helping them form an unbreakable, intimate bond with each other.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now" said Harry softly in her ear. Daphne opened her eyes and gasped. It looked like she was standing on the top of a very high cliff and there were fireworks in the sky above. She had to admit it was a very beautiful sight. Just then, another bunch of fireworks exploded in the sky, forming the words 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAPHNE' in the air.

"You did all of this for me?" she whispered with tears in her eyes. While her parents and Astoria celebrated her birthday with her, no one had ever done anything so special for her. She had never expected Harry to do anything of this sort as they didn't know each other so well. After all, they had met only last September, and there was no need for him to go that extra mile to make it so special.

"Of course I did. You deserve it, Daphne. You may be forced to marry me, but I promise you that I would go to the ends of the earth to make you happy. It may sound very cliché, but I sincerely mean it. If not for this contract, you probably could have found a guy who truly deserves you. But instead, you ended up with, with a _freak_ like me" he whispered silently, looking away from her.

Daphne stood there stunned, but her instincts took over. She grabbed Harry in a hug. He stiffened as usual, but his arms slowly went around her waist. After a minute, she pulled back slightly and cupped his cheek and said, "Listen to me very carefully Harry. You are not a freak! Forget what those stupid muggles told you. You are a very special boy. I never realised you had self-confidence issues; you do such an amazing job of hiding it. But it isn't necessary."

"Harry I have watched you duel. You are way ahead of your peers. You said that if not for the contract I could have found someone better. And pray tell who that person is? I assure you there is no one better! Harry have you looked in a mirror lately? You are considered by almost the entire student population as one of the most handsome boys in the school! And you're only eleven! So tell me, who could be better?"

"Let me also make one thing very clear. We may be forced to get married to each other but that does not mean we have to live happy lives. We could have chosen not to talk to each other and just tolerate each other for life. But we chose not to do that and decided to accept each other. You don't have to do anything special for me because you feel obligated to or because of guilt. I'll accept any special gestures only if your heart is in it. Do you understand me?"

Harry smiled slightly and said "Yes ma'am". Daphne chuckled, kissed him on the cheek softly, rested her head on his chest and hugged him tightly. Harry blushed madly but decided to enjoy the moment.

At the end of the year, Harry practically sailed through the exams and as usual, stood first in their year while Daphne and Padma Patil were tied for second and Hermione Granger took the place of third. Hermione was furious that she had not come first, but no one paid much attention to that. While Slytherin managed to win the Quidditch cup much to Gryffindor's dismay, Ravenclaw managed to win the House Cup because of all the points Harry had been awarded during the year. There was a huge celebration as Ravenclaw hadn't won the cup for many years now.

On the last day, when they got into the train, Harry smiled when he realised that he was returning home; he was returning to Potter Castle after finishing his first year at Hogwarts.


	14. Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.

Chapter 14

Harry dodged another spell. The Duelling room in Potter Castle was littered with paint. But Harry didn't care as he dodged every paintball that came his way. Finally, after an hour of dodging spells, he took a break and sat down on the bench. "How did I do?" he asked.

Toby looked at his notes and said "It was better this time Master Hadrian. Only two hits in the last hour, better than last time. But Toby thinks you need practice until you can dodge without getting hit even once."

Harry exhaled and nodded. He hadn't told anyone except Daphne that he going to take part in the Under-13 International Duelling Championship in Paris this summer. He wanted it to be a surprise to them, as everyone thought they were going to Paris for a vacation and nothing more. Harry was more than well trained in casting spells, so he spent all his time in perfecting his accuracy and dodging spells.

It had been two weeks since he had come back from Hogwarts. In those two weeks, aside from training, he was hopping from Sirius to the Greengrasses. He had found out from Sirius that he had not cut off all contact from Remus Lupin, but they had decided on a tentative friendship and see how things work out. Sirius also mentioned that they didn't discuss Harry; the less the werewolf knew about Harry's activities, the less he could tell Dumbledore. Harry was compelled to tell his godfather about Lupin showing Dumbledore the memory of the meeting but later decided against it. As long as Lupin didn't know what Harry was up to, it didn't matter. Besides, it's not like he confided in Sirius anyway, so his godfather could not accidently reveal information to the werewolf.

Finally, on July 27th, Harry, Sirius, Amelia and the four Greengrasses found themselves at the International Floo Terminal. The group entered the large fireplace and waited. After several seconds, there was an emerald fire and soon they found themselves in the Magical Customs office in Paris. Once they were all cleared, they took a portkey to the Greengrass home in the city.

Astoria was really excited so they went to the Magical Shopping district of Paris. Witches and Wizards didn't have a problem with languages as there were translation spells for reading and potions for speaking. Unfortunately, they didn't last too long, so people who travelled all the time on business or for education had to keep taking the potion. They all bought some souvenirs and ate at the best restaurants in the city.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"Really?" asked Harry in wonder. "There are no magical hotels at all, anywhere in the world?"

"No, not really. People usually are content with spending their night in the local wizarding inn and carry on. There are restaurants of course, but not hotels like the ones you are talking about" said Cyrus.

Harry's mind was calculating at a furious pace. If he could start acquiring some properties in a few countries and start an International Wizarding Hotel with luxury amenities, a new industry could be created. He would definitely talk to Lord Rangok about this along with the other mirror business he had mentioned months ago.

The birthday party for Harry was a blast. Everyone had given gifts based on the boy's interests; Harry had gotten books and a state of the art duelling dummy. He looked at Daphne with wide eyes. She just whispered that she hadn't told anyone about it, but she had told her parents that Harry enjoyed duelling. It was Sirius's gift that had surprised him again.

"Padfoot? How in Merlin's name did you know about this?" he asked in disbelief. In front of him was a box with seven luxury watches in them; one for every day of the week. Harry had been drooling over them ever since he saw them from outside the window of a shop in Muggle London. He found himself strangely obsessed with the number seven but didn't give it much thought.

"I have my ways. I've charmed them to be feather-light, unbreakable and there is a serious anti-theft charm on it too. What do you think?" he asked grinning.

Harry went over and hugged his godfather. "I love it, thank you" he said.

When Harry went to bed that night, he felt his heart hammering in his chest. He knew he was mentioned in modern history books all over the world for being the only known survivor of the killing curse, so quite a few people were bound to recognise his name. Tomorrow was the championship, and he hoped that he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry got up early on the first of August to meditate. He spent the next several hours on his Occlumency so that he could remember all the spells and techniques he had practiced. Daphne had convinced everyone that she wanted to see the Duelling championship. Amelia and Sirius were immediately game, as both of them had been Aurors and the rest agreed. Harry was mostly quiet that morning, and they all went to the championship stadium in Paris. Daphne hugged him, wished him luck and told him that she would manage the gang. Taking a deep breath, Harry entered the counter for the participants.

The person in charge asked, "Name and country?"

"Hadrian James Potter, Magical Britain" he said in a calm voice.

"Potter. Potter. Ah, here we are. You're already registered, good. Just sign here, please. Here's your tag, submit your wand for inspection in the booth inside. Good luck. Next!"

Harry entered the tent and looked around. There were witches and wizards from all over the world, and they all looked, frankly terrified. Harry could understand. They were basically kids of the age of thirteen and below, without their parents, in a foreign land and were going to be in front of a thousand people soon. He put on his name tag and went to submit his wand.

A French wand maker was inspecting the wands. When Harry reached her, he gave his wand to her. Because of the translation potion he didn't have a problem communicating with her. "Hm, I feel like I've seen this wand before. British, oui? Then it surely must be the work of Mr Ollivander. 14 inches and rigid; Made of Yew; containing; dear me! This is the famous Nundu heartstring wand! You're definitely one to watch out for. Good luck Mr-" Her eyebrows rose when she saw his nametag. "Well, it looks like the media hasn't caught up yet. Good luck Mr Potter" she said.

Harry accepted his wand and muttered his thanks to her. He did _not_ want the media to find out about this. He took deep breaths to calm himself. He looked at the list of duels and his heart skipped a beat. It looked like he was up first!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Daphne was outside, convincing everyone that Harry would be back soon. They were all seated and they could see the duelling platform clearly.

"Where's Harry? It's going to start soon!" said Astoria anxiously.

Before anyone could say more, the lights dimmed and the host stepped onto the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen" he began in French, but the group could all understand what he was saying. "Welcome to the Under-13 International Duelling Championship for the year 1992! We're going to have our preliminary rounds today, and those who qualify will be eligible for tomorrow's tournament. Those who qualify for the Quarter Finals in the morning will take part in the Simi Finals that afternoon. The winners of the Semi-Finals will take part in the Finals that night. So shall we begin?" he asked and the crowd roared. The adults were worried that Harry still hadn't shown up.

"Our first match is between Mr Adonis of Greece and Mr Hadrian Potter of Britain. Let's give them a big round of applause" he said.

When Harry entered the arena, the entire group except Daphne had their jaws on the floor. This was something they had never expected. Sirius was so shocked he couldn't from words. Before they could react, Harry and his opponent greeted each other and took their positions.

Harry stood before his opponent. He extended his left leg forward, his left arm raised for balance, his wand was pointed 60 degrees away from his opponent and his face was expressionless and back straight. This was a stance he had worked on. It provided as a means of both defence and offence, depending on his move. Harry's opponent took an offensive position. The boy was going to strike the second he was ready. His wand was pointed at Harry, so he would use a spell that didn't require any elaborate wand movements. The best bet was either the Disarming or Stunning spell, mused Harry.

"The rules are simple. No lethal spells can be used, and unforgivable curses are banned. The duel ends when the other party is incapacitated or yields. Get ready. BEGIN!"

As Harry had predicted, the Greek boy shouted " _Expelliarmus!"_

A red jet of light headed towards Harry, but he neatly dodged it. " _Langlock; Expelliarmus; Stupefy"_

The three silent spells hit the mark. His opponent's tongue got stuck to the roof of his mouth, his wand flew out of his hand and the stunner hit him in the chest. The boy dropped to the ground unconscious. The stadium was quiet. No one had _ever_ expected or seen a twelve-year-old boy perform non-verbal magic.

The host recovered quickly and said, "Amazing! That was an impressive display of non-verbal magic! The winner is Mr Hadrian Potter of Britain". The crowd roared and clapped for who many recognised now as the Boy Who Lived. Harry bowed to them and exited the arena.

Amelia Bones was the fastest to recover. "That was brilliant! It was the simplest spell chain one could use. It makes sure that unless you can cast spells non-verbally, you can't defend yourself against the Disarming and Stunning spells after you have been hit by the tongue locking jinx. Very simple, but efficient" she said smiling.

Sirius started laughing. "I can't believe he got one over us all! I mean, he must have been practicing for months and we never realised this. This was the reason he wanted to come to Paris. Impressive kiddo" he said.

"You knew, didn't you? That's why you kept telling us not to worry about him" said Elizabeth looking at her daughter.

Everyone turned to look at Daphne who nodded. "He told me about five months ago. He didn't want to tell anyone because he wanted to surprise you all. Looks like he did!" she said grinning.

They all watched as the rest of Round One was finished in quick succession, but so far no one else could do non-verbal casting. Once the last duel was over, "There are twenty four duellists who have qualified for round two. This round will be held this evening. Thank you" said the host.

Harry came over to them, grinning from ear to ear. "So, were you surprised?" he asked cheekily.

"Damn Harry where on Earth did you learn silent casting?" asked Sirius.

"That's something I've been doing from the beginning actually. Tracy and Daphne have seen me do that since our first train ride to Hogwarts. So, what do you think?" asked Harry.

"Well, as much as I want to yell at you for not informing us, I can't. I really hope you win Harry" said Amelia.

Harry smiled. He was not alone. He had people who cared about him. He took Daphne's hand and the group left for lunch.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry blasted through Round Two as well. Since it was Under-13, the duels took very little time. But he had to admit, the competitor he faced was good for her age, but Harry was a lot better. Harry hit her with a few jinxes to which the girl shielded against, but was eventually defeated when Harry cast the _Auguamenti_ charm, soaking her to the bone, and stunning her to end the duel.

The Quarter Finals had 12 participants. Here Harry decided to dodge rather than fire. His opponent was quickly getting tired after firing so many spells, and he took advantage of that and fired a stunner when the opponent had just stopped firing spells, ending the duel.

The Semi Finals were much better in Harry's opinion. There were six duellists. If Harry won this round, he would be automatically qualified for the finals because of his record of wins. The other five would have to fight in another round and the winner would join him in the Finals.

His opponent in the Semi Finals was a boy from Brazil. The boy was cautious as he knew Harry was a fierce opponent. He dodged spells as well, and instead of the usual spells, used a mixture of different charms in his arsenal. It definitely worked, as Harry got hit once when he least expected it, but managed to overcome his opponent, by using his advanced knowledge of charms against him.

The Finals were between Harry and a girl from Japan. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the finals of the Under-13 International Duelling Championship! We have today our two finalists-Akeno Hana from Japan and Hadrian Potter from Britain! Both have proved that they are way ahead of their peers in terms of magical knowledge. We will now see who will win. Take your places. Get ready. BEGIN!"

But to the crowd's surprise, neither party fired any spells. Harry had observed this girl. She, like him, was a powerful observer. While Harry used non-verbal casting and advanced knowledge to win, she used her knowledge to set a trap. And he wasn't going to fall for it. They were circling each other like a pair of tigers.

After several seconds, Harry decided to lay a trap of his own. He took his wand behind his back and started shifting it between his hands. The girl didn't know that he was ambidextrous. He could use that to his advantage. She would probably shift her focus to the hand where he was holding his wand. If he could fool her and attack with the other, she would be thrown off guard. The crowd watched in confusion as Harry shifted his wand from one hand to the other, the entire time keeping it away from his opponent's eyes.

Amelia's eyes narrowed in calculation. This wasn't a technique she had seen before. Just then Harry suddenly attacked. The girl had expected for him to fire with his right hand as she had seen it twitch, and that was where she had aimed her spell. But she figured out too late that Harry was using his left hand. She dodged but was caught. Painful boils erupted on her upper arm. He was toying with her, she thought furiously.

Harry smirked as he dodged another spell coming his way. She sent a barricade of spells his way, but he switched to transfiguration, one of his favourites in a duel. He conjured a huge bunch of leaves with sticky sap and banished them towards her. The girl set the leaves on fire and banished them back at Harry. Harry expected this and used the _Auguamenti_ charm to put off the fire and create a ball of water, a very impressive feat of magic. He pushed it above the ground where it was rotating at a fast rate using a smart array of quick runes.

He then cast a barricade of spells that the girl dodged. The girl wanted to end it and deal with the water bubble, so she said something in Japanese and a white beam of light shot out of her wand. Harry cast a stunning spell and both spells connected. Flashes of light could be seen as white and red clashed against each other. After a few seconds, Harry let go of the spell, dodged, looked at the ball of water suspended above, and slashed his wand in the air. The water fell directly on top of the girl below. Harry immediately took his chance and fired the spell chain he had used in the first duel. His opponent lay unconscious on the floor.

The audience was stunned. "What a spectacular display of the various branches of magic and sheer brilliance for one so young! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WINNER OF THE UNDER-13 INTERNATIONAL DUELLING CHAMPIONSHIP OF 1992 IS MR HADRIAN JAMES POTTER OF BRITAN! Congratulations Mr Potter! And congratulations to our runner-up Miss Hana of Japan!" said the host.

The arena was cleared and the Minister of Magic of France came up to them to give them the cash prizes and trophies. A smaller trophy was given to the runner up and Harry was given the larger one. The crowd roared and several people took pictures as he hoisted his cup in the air, and Harry Potter couldn't control his tears. He wasn't a worthless freak; he wasn't a waste of space. He had achieved something in life. He had risen from the small boy crying in a cupboard to the U-13 International Duelling Champion of 1992. He looked at the proud faces of his friends and family. _Family_ he thought with a smile as he looked at Daphne. He was happy, very happy indeed.

There was a large party thrown for Harry that night. Cyrus got them all several plates of French food and a bottle of non-alcoholic wine for the kids. After a few hours, they decided to go to bed.

Harry and Daphne stood at the door of their rooms as the adults went to their rooms. She hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you" she whispered in his ear.

"I'm proud of myself too. I'm not worthless anymore" he said.

Daphne pulled back and cupped his cheek. "You never were worthless Harry. Don't ever say something like that. You're a special boy, and I'm proud to even know you let alone be betrothed to you. I told you before, you're never alone. I'm always here by your side" she said softly.

Harry smiled slightly as he hugged Daphne to his chest. "Good night" he whispered. Daphne leaned up and kissed his cheek and said, "Sweet dreams" and went to her room which she shared with Astoria. Harry touched his cheek, stunned and blushed. He went to the room and lay down on the bed.

The next morning after having breakfast, the group headed to the International Floo Terminal to return to Britain. Once back the group said their goodbyes to each other and Harry portkeyed to Potter Castle.

He proudly kept the large trophy in his study. The portrait of his great-grandfather was grinning from ear to ear, saying that there was another Duelling champion in the Potter family. Harry smiled and went to his room to get some more sleep.

Two days later, the news broke out. Harry's face was grinning from the front page of the Daily Prophet as he held the trophy. The picture was clearly taken just after he had been given the cash prize and trophy.

 _BOY WHO LIVED WINS UNDER-13 INTERNATIONAL DUELLING CHAMPIONSHIP_

It had surprisingly detailed information, not to mention truthful for once, which Harry was grateful for. It described his ability at silent casting, about how he used a wide variety of spells, charms and transfiguration to win the duels. They had also mentioned his ball of water which he had used runes to make it spin and float. He was surprised to read that Professor Flitwick had been present to watch the Semi-Finals and the Finals. He had said that Harry was a very gifted child and that he was confident he would one day win the rest of Duelling Championships as well.

He idly wondered what Albus Dumbledore's reaction would be that his pawn was training to defend himself. He chuckled to himself as he indulged in the image of old Albus destroying his office in anger. Harry didn't know that his mark was a bull's eye.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore stood as he looked at his destroyed office. The Sorting Hat sat amused as it watched the spectacle before him. Harry Potter had promised him entertainment and it looked like he had delivered. The hat wondered, not for the first time if he should have sorted the boy in Slytherin.

Albus sat down in his chair and fumed. How dare his pawn do this? He was now an International Duelling Champion? Remus had never told him anything about this. He knew that Harry was going to Paris of course, and he had tried to talk to Sirius to convince him not to leave Britain for Harry's safety. But alas! Sirius had not listened to him.

He needed to do something to get his weapon back under his thumb. He needed Harry to realise that he could turn into the public's enemy as well. What to do? His informants had informed him that Lucius Malfoy was making a move because of Arthur Weasley's Muggle Protection Act. Maybe he would wait for a few months to see what the man could come up with. If it didn't affect Harry, Albus himself would have to come up with something. Damn that brat for putting Severus in Azkaban. Things would have been much easier with him around.

What had also not gone his way was the unexpected betrothal contract between Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass. He had been caught so completely out of the blue. He had plans of Harry marrying Ginny Weasley so that he could access the various books and artefacts of the Potter family. He didn't care much for gold, he didn't need it, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to not take so much gold when it was available. But knowledge and secrets of a family as immensely old as the Potters was something he could not pass up; he could even get the third Deathly Hallow as well. When he had inspected it, he found that it didn't work properly for him. He had come to the conclusion that while the blood of Ignotus Peverell still flows, the invisibility cloak would not work for him. So after Tom kills Harry, he could become the owner of the third Hallow and become the Master of Death. But it looked like those plans were not going to bear fruit as he could not control the next of kin in case of the Greengrasses or worse Sirius Black. He hadn't been able to take money from Harry's vault either – James Potter might have been a Gryffindor, but he had definitely been a cunning bastard worthy of being a Slytherin. Then again, he was raised by Dorea Potter who was a former Slytherin herself and a Black to boot.

He had also finally retrieved the Philosopher's stone from its hiding place. He had told the Flamels that it had been destroyed in Quirrell's attempt to steal it. They had surprisingly agreed with him and said it was for the best. It was only after trying to make lead to gold did he realise that he had been tricked. The stone was a fake, and the next day he had received a letter from his former mentors telling him to never contact them again. What a mess!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Hey everyone! Sorry that this chapter looks like a summary. I didn't want to bring in too many fight scenes this early in my story as I want it jam packed for later chapters (I'm currently working on it). Harry's skills may not sound too impressive in this chapter, but this is _Under-13_ **;** his competitors have basically only a couple of years of experience while he is far ahead. Besides, you don't want to tip your hand to your enemies so early, would you? I'm working on longer chapters as promised, but not too long either (I prefer more frequent updates than longer chapters). I hope you liked how I brought about the Duelling , I've had reviews where it is mentioned that Harry is whipped; I assure you that this is not the case. Harry and Daphne are both alphas; they are both headstrong and stubborn and they will butt heads and fight later on (not telling you when, duh!). I agree with someone who mentioned that when the pairing is with Daphne, Harry is usually whipped. Trust me, I don't like that at all. It baffles me because Harry in those stories is quite powerful and blah blah (damn, my story sounds cliché too, doesn't it? I have taken it differently, you just have to wait!), so why does he bow down to Daphne's every whim? That is something I don't get. Harry does not like bossy behaviour at all, he does his utmost best to not do that himself; so there is no way that he is going to follow his fiancé like a lost puppy. My goal is to create a beautiful relationship between the two filled with friendship, romance, love and drama. They'll fight like any other couple on the planet and Harry will not always run away with his tail between his legs after every fight. But don't worry, as Harry deeply respects Daphne as well. She'll be portrayed as the alpha woman by his side, both of them having equal standing (that's something to strive for in every relationship, isn't it?). As for how they're acting now, they're twelve! How else do you expect them to act anyway? But when hormones kick in . . .

Please review!

Something tells me I should have majored in Psychology instead. Damn, too late . . .


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It was the last week of the holidays. The booklists were to arrive soon and Harry had to go to Diagon Alley soon. Just as he arrived at the informal dining room, several elves popped in front of him, holding another elf.

"Master, Dobby be trying to steal your mail. Tippy caught him in the act" said Tippy.

The non-Potter elf squeaked out, "Hadrian Potter must not go back to Hogwarts! Dark things are planned. He must be kept safe. Dobby must protect him!"

Harry was confused. "Tippy, Ninny, release him" he said. He looked at Dobby. The elf was wearing a dirty rag and had injuries all over his body. Harry knelt down to the elf's level and said, "Hello Dobby. It's nice to meet you. Now can you please tell me what exactly the danger at Hogwarts is?"

The elf burst into tears. "Hadrian Potter treats Dobby like an equal. He is far greater than Dobby ever imagined. But Hadrian Potter should not go back to school sir. There is a plot, a plot to make the most dangerous things happen!" said the elf.

"What plot? Who's plotting them?" asked Harry quietly, his eyes narrowed.

"Dobby cannot say sir. Dobby's master doesn't even know he is here. Dobby would have to iron his hands later for this. But Dobby doesn't care, for Hadrian Potter's safety is most important. Don't go to school, sir. Great danger is going to befall the castle this year. Hadrian Potter must protect himself" said the elf and snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Harry sighed and sat down on the floor. "Guys, who is Dobby's master?" he asked the two elves in front of him.

"Dobby is the Malfoy elf, Master Hadrian. He is treated very, very badly by his masters. They make him fall off the building; they beat him up, and punish him badly. Ninny thinks the torture has made him a bit, ahm, insane?" suggested Ninny.

Harry laughed sadly. "I probably would be in the same condition as Dobby if not for Aquila and wonderful elves like you. I'll have to figure out a way to free him from the Malfoys" he said.

Tippy and Ninny's eyes welled with tears. "Master is too kind" they said, and hugged him and popped out.

A few hours later, Toby came in holding the Hogwarts letter. "Master you need new uniforms. The old ones have become small for you" he said.

Harry nodded and morphed into a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He stepped into the fireplace and said "Diagon Alley"

Once in the alley, he headed to Gringotts. He bowed to the goblin guards who bowed back and went to the teller and said, "Greetings Master Sharktooth. May your gold flow and your enemies fall at your feet. I have an appointment with Lord Rangok at 10 30. Please let him know that I have arrived" he said in Gobbledygook.

The old goblin grinned at him. "Greetings, young one. We at Gringotts like to congratulate you on your victory in your recent endeavour. You have taken the first steps in following the path of a warrior. Good luck" he said.

Harry smiled and bowed to the aged Goblin. He followed another Goblin to Rangok's office. He entered and bowed low and said, "Greeting My Lord Rangok. I hope I find you in good health" he said.

The aged warrior grinned toothily at him and said, "Greetings to you as well Lord Potter. Congratulations on your recent achievement. Duel Master Flitwick has nothing but the best things to say about you this past year. Let's get down to business, shall we? I have spoken to the owner of the store, a Miss Serena Miller, and she is eager to get funding from you. I feel like this would be a profitable venture. What amount do you want to transfer?"

Harry thought for a few moments. "I would like to offer her one hundred thousand galleons for expansion, research and advertisement. But I want 49% ownership of the business and also for her to broaden her devices. Mirror communication is one thing, but I also want devices that can broadcast Quidditch matches, sensors and proximity charms that follow the players around, and memory crystals that can record the matches so that it can be watched later. I also want her to work with the mirrors so that people can watch such matches while at home. If she can make this work, I will gladly give her more funding and help her open branches internationally" he said.

Rangok nodded as he took down notes and said "I will have the contract ready and discuss it with her and let you know of any developments. You were saying about another business venture?" he asked.

Harry nodded and said, "The hotel industry isn't very developed in the wizarding world. I'd like to change that. I would like you to look at properties near, but not too close to Diagon Alley and properties in Paris and New York City as well, for now. These hotels will cater to all crowds, and we can create a division for those who can pay more and those who can't; standard rooms and amenities for those not able to spend too much and luxury rooms and amenities for those who can. We can boost tourism by offering special tours of the city or country. Discounts can be given to regular customers. The first Magical Hotel in the world. What do you think?"

Rangok laughed. "You really will make us both rich. You have a keen mind for business, young one. Your ancestors would be proud. I'll look into it and let you know of any developments" he said.

Harry got up and gave a warrior's salute and left.

"You really are something special, young one" whispered Rangok as he watched Harry walk out of the door. "You will lead the magical world to greatness one day. And I will be able to hold my head high and watch as my kin are treated as equals. You will do it, Hadrian Potter, as it has been foretold by many wise Goblins, for it is your destiny. The ancient prophecies predict your success. May the Mother Goddess always be by your side."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry exited the bank and went about his business. He first went to Madam Malkin's to get his new uniform. Harry had been rigorously working out for the past year to improve his strength and stamina, and his old uniform has gotten tight for him to wear. After purchasing his uniform and leaving a very happy Madam Malkin because of him purchasing expensive silk robes, he headed to the apothecary to fill up his Potions supplies. Thinking about Potions made him remember Horace Slughorn. The first time Harry had met him, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he knew Slughorn from somewhere. It confused him until he realised that it was probably Voldemort who knew the man and not him. It took only a few classes with the old man for Harry to figure out his intentions. Horace Slughorn was a collector; he liked to be associated with the talented and those from powerful families. It established him as a talent scout and his students gave him small presents every now and then so that he could throw in a good word about them to different people.

So ever since the first Potions class, and especially after seeing Harry's amazing talent in Potions, the man was raving about Harry's abilities and had begun calling him a prodigy. Harry, of course, went along with it. Slughorn was a very resourceful individual, so he could be useful in the future. Besides, the man was a sheer genius in the subject of Potions and Harry was learning a lot from him.

He entered Flourish and Blotts to buy his new books when he frowned. It looked like Gilderoy Lockhart was launching his new book and was signing autographs. This was not the first time Harry had been grateful for his metamorphmagus ability. If the peacock had recognised him as Harry Potter, there was no telling what he would do, but drag him for a photograph was a good bet, he thought darkly. He had read all of Lockhart's books and had come to the conclusion that it was a work of fiction, misrepresenting itself to look like fact. Just as he had finished buying the books needed, Lockhart made an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to take a moment to make an announcement. It gives me great pleasure to inform you all that I have accepted the post of Defence against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School this year. You all can see the real Magical Me all year round!" he said, grinning for a photograph.

Harry raised his eyebrows. He knew Dumbledore was a senile old man, but this decision was pushing it, even for him. After Quirrell had died, Dumbledore had decided to teach the subject himself for a few months until he could get a retired Auror to take over for the remaining of the year. He may hate the Headmaster, but no one could deny that Dumbledore was an outstanding teacher.

He smirked slightly as he watched a photographer take pictures of Lockhart. He flicked his fingers at the peacock and the man suddenly farted loudly. All those women who were looking at him adoringly stepped back as the smell permeated the shop. Lockhart spluttered for a few moments before giving away a few copies for free. Unfortunately, the books behind the author, courtesy of Harry suddenly started falling down on the man.

Harry smirked and had just walked out of the store when he heard a voice shout "ARTHUR NO!"

Harry turned back and saw Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy engaging each other in fist fights. Lucius adjusted his robes and turned to Ginny Weasley. He dropped a book into her cauldron and said "Here girl, take your book. It's the best your father can give you" he said and left.

Harry left quickly too. He did not want to be near the Weasleys. The family tended to get on his nerves and he already had a headache. He tried to access the floo, but the fireplace was packed. He sighed and ducked into a dark alley. After making sure he was alone and nobody was watching, he concentrated on the front gates of Potter Castle and Disapparated with a near silent crack. He had been Apparating since he was seven years old, and was now able to do with quite well. He could have used his portkey of course, but he needed to practice Apparating as well.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Finally the first of September arrived. Just before he was about to leave, suddenly the weather took a turn for a worse. Heavy wind and rain battered against the windows, lightning could be seen and thunder could be heard. Harry's eyes went wide.

 _"_ _Aquila, what's wrong buddy?"_ he asked.

" _Harry, listen to me very carefully. You are going to be in grave danger. I don't know how or when. All I know is that your life will be at great risk. I will not let you die little one. Promise me that if you are ever in trouble and you feel like your life is in danger, you will call me to you. Understand?"_ said the Thunderbird.

Harry paused. Could this be related to Dobby's warning? The little elf had stressed on the fact that dark deeds were planned at Hogwarts this year and that his life was in great danger. His heart started beating faster.

 _"_ _I promise Aquila. If I am in danger, I will call you. I will also let you know if there is anything suspicious. I'll keep my eyes and ears open"_ he said.

 _"_ _Good luck, little one. Stay safe"_

He entered the fireplace and said "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters". To his immense shock, he did not move at all. He stepped out and called for Toby. "Toby can you look at the fireplace and see what's wrong?" he asked.

The elf looked at it and cursed under his breath. "This be blocked by house elf magic, master. It looks like Dobby tried to stop you from leaving. Toby will adjust the Elvin wards so that it does not happen again" he said and snapped his fingers. He nodded to Harry and popped away.

Harry sighed and flooed to the station. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the red and black train. He walked into the train and searched for his friends. To his immense frustration, as he walked up the train, people were staring at him more than they were last year. Winning an International Duelling Championship was bound to bring attention, especially as he was already famous, he thought darkly. He finally found his friends and walked in. He greeted them all, put his trunk on the rack, removed Tango from his cage and took a seat next to Daphne.

"What's got you in a bad mood?" whispered Daphne as she took Tango from him. She was the little dog's favourite apart from his owner and spent a lot of time with her. She giggled as Tango licked her face and settled on her lap.

"Some house elf is stalking me saying that something bad is going to happen at Hogwarts this year. So I'm trying to figure out what it is. On top of that, the stares I get from the general population have increased, and it's annoying" grumbled Harry.

"Stalking elf?" asked Neville.

"Danger at Hogwarts?" asked Susan

Harry nodded "Lucius Malfoy is up to something. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. With any luck, we can prevent his plot from taking off."

"Can't we alert the teachers or Madam Bones about it?" asked Tracy.

"And say what?" asked Daphne. "That Lord Malfoy is planning something underhanded, and accuse him without proof? That's political suicide, considering that Malfoy has the Minister in his pocket. Believe me, if Harry hadn't done it so silently, Lord Black's trial and subsequent exoneration would have been very difficult with Minister Fudge, a portion of the Wizengamot and Albus Dumbledore against you. I don't think people realise that Harry fought against an innumerable amount of odds against him. That session was so unique; I don't think such a phenomenon has ever occurred in recent history."

Silence followed her declaration as people were lost in their own thoughts. Harry looked at Daphne and smiled. This was the reason he admired her. She wasn't just a pretty face; she had intelligence and understanding of politics and business to go with it. He marvelled at the fact that he had met her only one year ago, and yet he had grown so emotionally attached to her. He squeezed her hand and gently rubbed it with his thumb. He had just now noticed that he and Daphne tended to hold hands a lot recently.

"Moving on, I asked Harry a few weeks back to teach us Occlumency. Are you all game?" asked Neville.

There were enthusiastic responses to this. "I really want to learn non-verbal casting. It's so cool to just wave your wand without incantations during a duel" said Susan.

Harry smiled and said "Most witches and wizards consider it difficult because it requires mental discipline. We'll start with Occlumency. I know that all of you have been taught the rudimentary aspects of it, but that's not enough. The mind arts are an _amazing_ branch of magic. Occlumency helps you with memory recall, so when you are duelling you can recall a whole bunch of spells without forgetting the incantation or wand movements. Let's start now."

He flicked his wand to his hand and pointed it to the door. The door locked itself shut with a strong _Colloportus_ charm. He then flicked his wand a few times to put up a notice-me-not charm. He did not wand Malfoy, Weasley or Granger to disturb them.

He then began his instruction. "I want you all to sit comfortably. Close your eyes and take deep breaths, in and out; in and out. Focus on the blackness you see in front of you. Your mind belongs to you and no one else. When you are in your mind, you are in total control. This is your magic and your mind, where you are in solitude. The void can be shaped in any form you like. Your magic flows to your mind, and you have to channel it. The mind is vast; it has no limit, just as the universe has no limit. It is your domain; you are in control. Breathe in and out. Connect with your magical core; let it infuse you" he said softly.

He silently took out a few biscuits for Tango and a book on Offensive Warding from the Potter Library and started reading. He knew that they would find it difficult to continue the meditation. He realised that he had a gift when it came to the mind arts; he couldn't expect the others to reach his level of control this soon if ever, but he was most certainly willing to help them. Daphne started reading a book as well. Harry had been training her in the art for several months now and she was capable of hold off light medium attacks. He had told her that once he was confident in her abilities, he would tell her his secrets. Both of them did not want the other to be in the dark about their lives.

The hours passed with each of them not being successful at different times. But Harry was patient and helped and encouraged them. He told them that it was a process that would take time, so they couldn't expect any results just by practicing for a few hours. During that time he had seen Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger pass by his compartment several times with looks of confusion on their faces. He smirked; he really should have done this last year as well. Oh well, better late than never.

As they approached Hogsmeade, Harry snapped them out of their meditative trance which they were all trying to hold together with much difficulty. They changed into their uniforms in silence and left the train and got into the carriages.

When they entered the Great Hall, Harry went to the Ravenclaw table, Susan and Hannah sat at the Hufflepuff table, Neville proceeded to the Gryffindor table and Daphne and Tracy went over to the Slytherin table. Harry began chatting with his housemates as they asked him questions about the Duelling Championship. He may not be a social animal, but he knew that talking to others and building contacts were very beneficial. He had learned that from Slughorn, but Harry used a more subtle approach.

He watched the sorting and mentally sighed in relief when Ginny Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor. If the sad look on her face was anything to go by, the red head was probably trying for Ravenclaw, but the hat sorted her with the lions. He was grateful for this as he did not want to be in the same house as the girl Dumbledore wanted him to marry. An eccentric looking girl named Luna Lovegood was sorted into Ravenclaw. Harry knew that family. Xenophilius Lovegood owned the Quibber, a wizarding publication that catered to a very small audience.

After dinner, the students went to their dormitories for the night. Harry entered his room and looked at the blank walls. He called Toby to expand the room again. While he could do the expansion charm, he still found it a bit tricky so he didn't mind letting his house elf do it instead. He redecorated his room like last year, changed clothes and went to bed.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning he went out to the lake, finished his morning run and exercises, took a bath and came to the Great Hall for breakfast. Just as last year, just as he entered the students stopped talking to stare at him. He calmly went to the Ravenclaw table and started eating.

He had just finished explaining the rules of a wizard's duel to a third-year muggleborn when Professor Flitwick made his appearance and handed him his timetable. "Congratulations on your achievement Mr Potter. I was quite shocked to see you at the championship. But I have to say your performance was outstanding. I was most impressed with your silent casting. Most adult wizards have problems casting spells silently so it was really shocking to see a twelve-year-old boy do it naturally. And that technique you used in the finals; both the trick with the wand hand and the suspended water were sheer brilliance. It was on par with the Under-16 championship to tell you the truth. Well done" he said smiling.

Harry smiled warmly at him and said "Thank you, Professor. I had no idea you were present on the second day, but your compliment means a lot to me."

He looked at the timetable and groaned. "What wrong Harry?" asked a fellow Ravenclaw Anthony Goldstein.

"We have Transfiguration and Potions with the Gryffindors this year. And that means I have to-"

"-deal with Granger who'll probably try to do her best to one up you. Tough break" finished Padma Patil.

"Yeah. Come on, we're late for Herbology" he said, grabbing his backpack and made his way to the greenhouses.

They entered the greenhouses to find an annoyed Professor Sprout dealing with Gilderoy Lockhart. "Oh, hello there! Just telling Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow. But I don't want you-"

"Greenhouse three folks" interrupted Professor Sprout.

"Harry! I've been wanting a word if youaaaa!" he said just as he slipped and fell face first into a pile of dung. Harry smirked. He really loved wandless magic. It might not help in using advanced spells, but it worked for pranks and in using mind magic. The class laughed and Professor Sprout did her best to hide her vicious grin as well. Lockhart fled to his classroom as fast as he could.

"Alright class, today we will be working with Mandrakes. Can anyone tell me what they are?" she asked.

After waiting for several seconds, waiting to see if anybody else knew the answer, she turned to Harry and asked "Mr Potter, what can you tell us about mandrakes?"

"A mandrake is a powerful restorative agent, and in some cases a catalyst if you will. They are primarily used to return those who are transfigured or cursed to their natural state. You also have to be careful while dealing with them because the cry of a mandrake can be fatal to anyone who hears it" answered Harry.

"Excellent. Twenty points to Ravenclaw. Now, these mandrakes are young, so their cry is not fatal. But they can still harm you. So put on your earmuffs and work with them" she said and demonstrated it for them.

After getting cleaned up, he was mentally preparing himself for Granger's reaction in Transfiguration. He entered the classroom and sat down next to Neville.

"What's with you?" asked Neville with eyebrows raised.

"Granger" he replied grimly. Neville gave a cough, but it couldn't hide his snicker or his grin. "Yeah, yeah. It's going to be hilarious" Harry said and rolled his eyes.

"Don't look, but she's already sending death glares your way" Neville whispered.

"I have no intention to" replied Harry.

Professor McGonagall marched into the classroom and began. "Before we begin our new course, we will first review what we have learnt the previous year over the next few days. Let us start with the exercise of turning a match into a needle and the other of turning a beetle into a button" she said.

Harry supervised Neville who was steadily improving in Transfiguration ever since he got his own wand last November. He managed the transfiguration after his second attempt and McGonagall came over. "Very good Mr Longbottom. I expect to see better progress in my class this year. Mr Potter, congratulations on your achievement. Professor Flitwick showed me the memory of the final duel and I have to say I'm impressed. Conjuration, even if it was leaves at your age is most impressive. I also expect silent casting from you in every class. Go on, give it a try. I'd like to see it with my own eyes" she said.

Harry nodded and did the necessary wand movements. The match changed into a perfect needle and the beetle turned into a button. "Very good Potter. I have no idea how you developed this skill; it's not taught until sixth year, but well done. Twenty points to Ravenclaw" she said and walked away.

The Ravenclaw students were quite used to Harry doing something like this so it wasn't much of a surprise. But Hermione Granger was furious. She just couldn't beat Potter, however hard she tried! She attempted silent casting as well, but with no luck. Finally, at the end of the class, she was forced to give up and she marched out of the classroom, throwing filthy looks at Harry as she went past.

Harry snorted. How long before Dumbledore called him to his office?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After lunch, a rather irritated Harry Potter proceeded to the Defence classroom. He had just left the Great Hall in a testy mood. A first year named Colin Creevey had asked for signed photographs and Draco Malfoy had done his best to rile Harry up. It didn't work of course, as Harry had let Colin take his picture but had not signed anything. Draco Malfoy had an embarrassing moment when he farted loudly in the middle of the Great Hall. He had just begun accusing Harry of doing it when he had farted again. All the students had started laughing at the boy who left with a murderous expression on his face. It had only been the first day and Harry had already managed to annoy two people. Lockhart had better not try anything underhanded, for Harry wasn't in a good mood.

He entered the almost full Defence classroom and without a care in the world, sat next to Daphne.

"What's wrong?" whispered Daphne as she took his hand in hers, rubbing circles on it with her thumb to calm him down.

"Well, turns out that we have Transfiguration and Potions with the Gryffindors this year. McGonagall made me do the spells non-verbally and gave me points for it. Granger tried but didn't succeed and has been giving me filthy looks ever since. As you know, Malfoy annoyed me during lunch as well. And I'm pretty sure Dumbledore will call me to his office later today. To top of off, the peacock known as Lockhart is going to annoy the hell out of me. What else could go wrong?" he said.

Daphne giggled softly. "Who cares what Granger or Malfoy think? Since when have you paid attention to what people think of you anyway? You can handle Dumbledore, I have confidence in you. As for Lockhart, well, here he comes."

Sure enough, Lockhart gave a dramatic entrance and pointed to the various portraits of him and said "Me. Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class; Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League; five-time winner of Witch Weekly's most charming smile Award. Ah, I see you've bought my complete set of books. Well done. Let's start with a quiz. You have thirty minutes. Start-NOW!"

Harry looked at the questions with eyebrows raised. He smirked slightly and started writing.

1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?

 _Gold, the colour of the galleons he gets by making poor children spend an exorbitant amount of money by forcing them to buy his books for school._

2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

 _To make lots of money by fooling not only the British Wizarding public but people all over the world as well by selling his worthless books._

3\. What, in your opinion, is Gildoroy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

 _He successfully fooled the public to believe that he actually achieved all those feats he has written in his books; making them believe fiction to be fact is a good answer too._

54\. What would Gilderoy Lockhart's ideal birthday gift be?

 _A Niffler. That way he wouldn't have to make people spend tons of gold to buy his books; he can just dig them from the ground or find them in a toilet where he and his books belong. Although a mirror for him to admire his reflection would be a good choice as well._

Harry smirked and cast the _Geminio_ charm on his answer sheet and duplicated it into several copies and passed them around the class with a few flicks of his wand. A few minutes later, snickers could be heard throughout the classroom. Terry Boot actually fell off his seat after laughing so hard. Lockhart seemed to not notice as he was looking at a mirror at the other end of class.

After a few minutes, Lockhart collected them and rifled through them in front of the class. "Tut, tut - hardly any of you is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti._ And a few of you need to -" he stopped midway, his face red.

"Detention Mr Potter. You will spend one evening with me every two weeks till the winter holidays. And ten points from Ravenclaw" he snapped.

Harry maintained a cool expression. He really didn't care if the peacock gave him a detention. The man was an idiot, an inconvenience, nothing more. He wasn't even worth plotting to kill. He had to find some other way to get rid of Lockhart.

The man lifted a cloth covered cage and placed it on his desk. "Now-be warned. I'm here to train you against the foulest, most deadly creatures known to wizardkind! I must ask you not to scream. Stay calm, as you are about to witness freshly caught Cornish pixies!" he said dramatically.

Harry couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, and many others followed suit. Lockhart looked annoyed and asked, "What's funny?"

Draco Malfoy looked at him and said "Well, it's funny because they're pixies! They're not all that dangerous."

"I have to agree with Cousin Dragon over there. The way you were going about it, I thought you were going to introduce us to a Nundu!" said Harry.

"Really? Let's see what you can make of them then!" said Lockhart as he let the whole swarm out of their cage.

It was a pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets, destroying the classroom. Harry sat calmly and went back to his book. When a pixie would annoy him, he would just stun the pest and not do more. Lockhart rolled up his sleeves and said "Peskipiksi Pesternomi". Harry snorted as it didn't even sound like a spell. Sure enough, nothing happened and a pixie took his wand and threw it out of the window.

"Harry, do something!" exclaimed Daphne.

Harry sighed and shouted, "Everyone drop to the ground NOW". He then slashed his wand in the air and a jet of red light flew across the room in all directions and the pixies dropped to the floor unconscious. He had just cast a wide area stunner. It wasn't used frequently because you needed more power to cast it than the conventional stunner and it wasn't very effective during a fight as a simple shield charm could counter it. He then moved his wand in a gentle, sweeping gesture and the pixies on the floor floated back to their cage. He pointed his wand at the cage and it locked itself with a _Colloportus_ charm.

"And here's a lesson for the day" said Harry. "Pixies are not dangerous, but a whole bunch of them can be bothersome. The best way to deal with them is to stun them. The incantation for the Stunning spell is _Stupefy_ and the wand movement is just a point cast. Practice it on your own time. Class dismissed" he said and walked right out of the classroom leaving a spluttering Lockhart behind.

"You know Professor" said Theodore Nott. "I am not and probably never will be Potter's friend. But you've got to admit, he's got style."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next day, in Charms class, Professor Flitwick started on the Disarming charm. "The Disarming charm, while rudimentary is very powerful. In a duel, if you deprive your opponent of his wand, you've essentially won, but that is not the case all the time as I have met witches and wizards who can perform wandless magic and can summon it back to them. Nevertheless, for your age, it is quite useful in case you decide to use it in a spar against your opponent. The incantation is _Expelliarmus_ and the wand movement is a small twirl and point cast. If you get it right, a weak Disarming charm will produce a white light and take the wand away from the opponent, but a strong charm will be scarlet and can be used effectively in duels, even though it is not effective in finishing the victim" he explained.

The class listened in rapt attention. Flitwick demonstrated the spell and asked them to try against each other, but they were not successful.

"Mr Potter, can you help me demonstrate it?" asked Flitwick.

Harry nodded and proceeded to the centre of the class. "Alright, cast the spell at me, Mr Potter. Everyone, observe his wand movement and say the spell out loud please"

" _Expelliarmus"_ shouted Harry. A scarlet beam of light shot from his wand and perfectly hit Professor Flitwick's wand arm, disarming him.

"Very good Potter, 10 points to Ravenclaw. As you all saw, he added a slight twirl to it, which enhanced the precision of the spell. Go on, give it a try everyone" he said. Since Harry had already taught her the spell, Daphne was able to disarm her opponent quickly. The rest of the class got homework to practice the spell for the next class.

After Charms was Potions, which Harry knew was going to rile Granger up. He entered the Potions classroom and took his usual solitary seat; he did not like to have a partner during Potions as he did it differently. The rest of the students came in, and Hermione Granger sniffed at Harry and sat near him with Ron Weasley.

Horace Slughorn entered the room and took the roll call; he smiled widely when he came to Harry's name, something that Granger did not overlook. After he finished he announced "Welcome to the second year. Let's not waste time, so who can tell me what a Sleeping Draught is? But of course Miss Granger" he said, smiling jovially at Hermione.

Hermione recited "A Sleeping Draught is a potion that causes the drinker to fall almost instantaneously into a deep but temporary sleep" she said shooting a superior look at Harry.

"Very good Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor" said Slughorn. "Can anybody tell me what the base for this potion is?"

Hermione's hand immediately jumped in the air, but Padma answered at his prompting "Four springs of Lavender, sir"

"Correct, five points to Ravenclaw. Now, can anyone tell me _why_ we use the spring of lavender instead of, say, California Poppy?" he asked, looking at Harry.

Hermione was confused. She hadn't expected such a question as it wasn't given in the textbook, so she flushed and slowly put her hand down.

Harry raised his hand briefly and answered "California Poppy, while also an ingredient which has similar properties to Lavender, is a lot more potent. We want the drinker to sleep, but at the same time he should not be induced into such strong sleep that he can't be woken up; that is what the Draught of Living Death is for. But in case of the Sleeping Draught, Lavender acts as the base of the potion as its natural properties induce sleep, but at the same time decreases vomiting and nausea as well. Valerian is added in the last stages of the potion as it has its own blend of sedative properties, and also provides the drinker with mild dreamlessness as well."

"Brilliant!" exclaimed Slughorn. "I don't know where you get these brainwaves my boy. Take fifteen well-earned points for answering that question. Lily would be so proud."

He then proceeded to explain the potion to the rest of the class. Hermione Granger was in a state of shock. She had clearly thought that since she hadn't known the answer, there was no way Harry would know it either. When Slughorn asked them all to start the potion, she was the first to rush to the potions cabinet and come back to her seat, with a determined expression on her face.

Pretty soon, the room was filled with fumes as Slughorn was walking around and correcting the mistakes made by the students. 30 minutes later, Granger saw that Harry adding a Valerian sprig to his cauldron. She had her mouth open in shock, as she was still in the process of simmering her potion and Valerian was added only in the last stages of the potion. She watched as he stirred 2 times clockwise and once anticlockwise; he added another Valerian sprig and continued the process until he finished 4 sprigs. He then waved his wand over the cauldron, and after a flash of light, the potion was complete.

Slughorn came over to Harry and inspected the potion. "Oho, you've done it again, my boy. The potion is perfect. Let's see what you've managed to change, shall we? You've managed to cut down the time by half, so there has to be something major which you have changed. Hmm, dear Merlin! You've added a sprig of California Poppy into the base mixture, and then balanced it with the Lavender and standard ingredients. This caused it to thicken more than normal, so you changed the stirring instructions while adding the Valerian so as to give it a more syrupy consistency. Outstanding! To think a mere second-year student is able to change the ingredients and instructions to cut down the time taken and yet arrive at a perfect, even more potent potion! Take 50 points to Ravenclaw. Don't forget to write down your changes so that I can send it to the British Society of Potioneers. What a pair, you and Miss Greengrass. Both of you really are probably the best in your generation. Well done" said Slughorn.

Harry smiled briefly and took out a parchment to write down his changes and the reasons behind it. He knew he had taken it a bit far today; he normally didn't like to show off too much. But Daphne had pointed out something which got him thinking over the summer; the people are sheep and will always follow a strong leader. So if Harry wanted to get rid of leaders like Albus Dumbledore or Voldemort, he should be willing to step into the spotlight and take their place and to do that he needed to be exceptional.

He knew there were many people who were jealous of him. He was the Boy Who Lived, was unnaturally good looking, he was the head of a very rich family with power and was also a prodigy. Not to mention he was betrothed to the beautiful Daphne Greengrass. But it could not be helped; he needed to come out of the shadows if he was going to implement his plan for the future of the magical world.

Hermione Granger was seething. She could not believe what had happened. How dare Potter cheat and claim the idea was his? Someone was probably helping him, there was no way he was so smart. _She_ was the smartest girl in her generation, not that Greengrass girl! After class, she found Potter discussing his changes in the Potion with Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin, girls who were among the top 5 in their year.

Hermione stood in front of Harry, her face red and body shaking with anger. The three students looked up from Harry's notes and Harry asked, "Can I help you with something Miss Granger?"

"Don't give me that Potter! I know you cheated! There is no way you could do something like that without external help. I'm warning you, you may be able to fool Professor Slughorn, but you can't fool me! I'll find out who is helping you if it's the last thing I do!" she said and marched away.

"What is it with her anyway? It's like she can't stand being bested; she has to remain the best in class no matter what" said Lisa.

"I know" said Padma. "She was furious that we were beat her last year as well. Come on, let's go have lunch." Harry narrowed his eyes. It looked like Granger was going to harass him in the future; he would have to be careful in case she decided to follow him around.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry spent the rest of the week going to class, reading books, practicing advanced magic in the Room of Requirement with Daphne and annoying Lockhart. So it was a relief when the weekend arrived so that he didn't have to deal with the teacher or a growling Granger.

"So what's your decision? Are you going for it or not?" asked Daphne.

The two of them were alone in the Room of Requirement as they recovered from the duel they just had against each other. Harry was quite surprised at how much Daphne had improved over the summer when she confessed that she had been practicing during the holidays in the Duelling room at Greengrass Manor to impress him. Naturally, Harry was touched.

They had not shared the secret of the room with anyone. While they were closer to Neville, Tracy, Susan and Hannah compared to the rest of their year mates, Harry and Daphne did not really count themselves as a group. As far as they were considered, the two of them were a team; no one else was invited.

Harry sighed. He had been pondering about this for the past few weeks. "Let's look at the pros and cons of this decision" he said.

Daphne nodded and said "There's no denying that you're an outstanding seeker. You're a natural flier so that would give you more publicity. There is no better way into most of the people's hearts than Quidditch. You're right now considered to be powerful and smart, but not _exciting_ to the student population. We need to change that mentality and Quidditch is the best way to do it. The only disadvantage I see is that practice will take time. But I say go for it."

Harry bit his lower lip and slowly nodded, processing what she had said. He then turned to look at his future wife who was flipping through books on the table. She really was amazing. She knew that Harry had secrets but didn't push it, trusting him to give her the information when he was ready. Daphne was a perfect Slytherin in that she was as cunning as she was ambitious. He idly wondered what her animagus form would be; it would certainly be entertaining to guess and then find out. He didn't realise that he had been staring at her for a minute with a blank expression on his face.

"Something on my face Harry?" asked Daphne with a smirk.

Harry snapped out of his trance and flushed. "It's nothing. Just thanking whoever is responsible for bringing you to me. You're so amazing Daphne. Thank you for coming into my life; it's been so much better for the past 6 months" he said sincerely.

Daphne smiled, got up to sit next to him and kissed Harry's cheek. She then rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes to relax. Harry's face went pink, but he couldn't help but feel happy. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his face on her head and closed his eyes. _Paradise._

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

That evening, Harry found himself at the Quidditch pitch along with several other people as well. The captain, a sixth-year girl named Abigail Turner stood facing them. "Okay folks, I want all of you to make four groups – chasers, beaters, keepers and seekers; Move it!" she said.

There was some shuffling as people moved and stood in groups. Harry looked at the third year girl whose name was Cho Chang. It looked like she was the only competition for him. The captain started off with the trials. After two hours, she finally came to the seekers.

"Alright you two, I'll keep this simple. You have to qualify in two rounds, meaning catch the snitch once without the bludgers and catch it again with the bludgers. Up in the air!" she shouted.

Harry gripped his Nimbus Two Thousand and shot off into the air. He flew to an impressive height and stopped. "I'm releasing the snitch, NOW!"

The small golden snitch disappeared immediately so there was no point looking for it. But Harry did not like waiting in one place just looking for the snitch. He flew around the pitch for a few minutes, diving and getting back up. Finally, he saw the snitch near the ground at the end of the goal posts. He quickly accelerated and could sense Chang behind him. He dived at a sharp angle to throw her off, but she was relentless. He approached the snitch at a fast speed; he could hear a few girls scream in fright and suddenly pulled up, with his fist in the air holding the golden snitch.

He approached the captain who looked slack jawed at his performance. "You could have killed me!" said a furious Cho Chang, who landed next to him. "What do you think you were doing, diving at such speed?"

"That's the point, Miss Chang, that the opposing seeker would not be able to follow me. Anyway, can we get on with the next round?" he asked the girl in front of him.

Abigail Turner recovered and grinned "Boys, give him the best you've got" she said to the beaters. The beaters took their bats and released the bludgers. Harry and Cho took their positions and Turner released the snitch again. Immediately both seekers found bludgers coming their way and both of them dived to get away. Harry again started flying from one end of the pitch to the other. After 5 minutes of dodging bludgers, he spotted the snitch on the other side. He immediately darted forward but could sense a bludger coming his way. He slowed down, and spun 360 degrees and hit the bludger with the tail of his broomstick so that it would trouble Chang instead and his aim was accurate as it did hit her. He dived fast and caught the snitch.

When he came back, people were applauding. "That was awesome Potter! Not only did you get the snitch, but you sent the bludger away too! Welcome to the team" said Turner. Harry smiled. Things were proceeding as planned.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Saturday night, Harry found himself in Lockhart's office addressing the envelopes to the man's fans. Really, these people were a bunch of crazy idiots! He could have spent this time pouring over books on exotic magic, or could be flying with Aquila or could have spent time with Daphne, he mused to himself. Instead, he was sitting with a peacock. Or was it a pig? He really wasn't sure what to call the idiot anymore.

Lockhart had also dimmed the lighting charms; really, couldn't the man keep his office bright? Harry was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breath taking, ice cold venom.

" _Come . . . come to me . . . Let me rip you . . . Let me tear you . . . Let me kill you . . ."_

Harry jumped and knocked the ink pot to the floor. "What?" he asked loudly.

"I know!" said Lockhart. "Six solid months at the top of the best seller list, I broke all records! Amazing isn't it?"

"Didn't you hear that voice?" he asked. What was that? It sounded so cold and deadly.

"Huh? What are you talking about Harry? Oh Great Scott, look at the time! We've been here for four hours! Time flies when you're having fun, eh? Good night Harry, you may go" he said, dismissing him.

Harry immediately fled the classroom and headed back to Ravenclaw Tower as fast as he could. Sitting on his bed, he meditated and recalled what had happened. That voice was terrifying, that was for sure. Did Lockhart really not hear it? Was he behind that voice? Harry shook his head. Lockhart was an idiot. He probably had nothing to do with the voice at all. So what was it?

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 17**

 **"** **. . .** ** _I smell blood . . . I SMELL BLOOD!"_** **His face was pale and white as a sheet. It was going to kill someone.**

 **AN:** Thank you all for your reviews. I would like to apologize to all those who reviewed my story and to whom I wasn't able to reply. To the rest, I'm sorry for the late reply. I honestly had no idea that it was expected of me to reply to them; I only realised that fact after it was pointed out to me.

Does anyone have any idea why I'm not able to view the reviews? I had previously disabled the E-mail alerts because of which I'm not able to read many of the recent reviews. I enabled it again, but I hope it gets fixed so that I can read and reply to them.

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The next two months at Hogwarts went rapidly. Harry had started Quidditch practice with the Ravenclaw team and it was going quite well. He finished the OWL syllabus and had started on NEWT material. Daphne had also taken to studying at a furious pace; while she knew she couldn't keep up with Harry, she was still quite ahead of her peers and had started on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Pretty soon, Halloween approached. As it was a Saturday, Harry and Daphne spent their time in the Room of Requirement.

They were on their way to dinner when a storm began outside. Harry's heart started beating faster as he knew what that meant and just as he had suspected, he heard Aquila's voice in his mind warning him about danger. Harry swallowed and gripped Daphne' hand tighter, hoping nothing bad happened.

The feast carried on as normal and nothing strange happened. Just as he was finishing dessert, he heard the voice again. It was the same, cold, murderous voice as before.

" _. . . rip . . .tear . . . kill . . ."_

Harry dropped his spoon on the table, but no one noticed. He closed his eyes and extended his senses, but didn't detect anything. Whatever it was, he couldn't sense it. He seemed to hear a distant echo; he didn't know where it was coming from.

". . . _so hungry . . . kill. . . kill this time . . ."_ Harry's hands were shaking badly.

". . . _I smell blood . . . I SMELL BLOOD!"_ His face was pale and white as a sheet. It was going to kill someone. Was he the only one who had heard that voice? People started getting up and going back to their dormitories. Harry silently walked towards Ravenclaw Tower along with the rest of them, but people suddenly stopped and started whispering.

"What's with the hold up?" Harry asked.

He went forward and saw Mrs Norris frozen and on the ground, unmoving. Harry's breath was caught in his throat. Was the cat dead? He looked at the wall where people were pointing and whispering.

 _THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE._

Harry suddenly got the image of an enormous room with statues of snakes on either side, but the memory ended just as quickly as it began. The Chamber of Secrets sounded so familiar, but he felt the information was just beyond his reach.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods" shouted Draco Malfoy gleefully.

Red hot anger erupted inside Harry. While he hated Muggles, he deeply cared about the lives and treatment of muggleborns. So when the ponce shouted out that insult, he took his wand and cursed him. Draco screamed as painful boils erupted on his face.

"DON'T USE THAT DISGUSTING WORD IS FRONT OF ME!" said Harry in a quiet voice, but with a furious expression on his face. A few people around him stepped back as his aura flared.

"Move aside! What is going on here?" asked Professor McGonagall as she stepped forward along with the rest of the teachers and Filch.

"What is wrong with Mr Malfoy? Why is he shrieking like a harpy?" she asked crossly.

"That would be my fault, Professor McGonagall. He used the derogatory M-word so I hexed him" said Harry, keeping his face calm.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Thank you for your confession Mr Potter, but it will be ten points from Ravenclaw for attacking another student. Mr Malfoy, if I ever catch you uttering that word it will be detention" she said.

That was when she noticed the frozen cat on the ground and the message on the wall. She gasped as she realised the meaning behind the words. Filch came up and saw that his cat was petrified.

"My cat! My cat! What happened to Mrs Norris?" he shouted.

Filch looked at Harry, who was standing directly opposite to him. He needed a person to blame and he never liked James Potter. So he shouted "You! You murdered my cat! I'll kill you!"

Harry's eyes narrowed as he got angry. "Argus" said a voice and Dumbledore made his dramatic entrance. The Headmaster picked up the cat and said, "Come with me Argus, you too Mr Potter"

"May I know why, Headmaster?" asked Harry in a calm voice, not revealing his intense anger at the moment. He knew just what had happened. Filch needed to blame someone and had chosen him. Dumbledore was taking his revenge on Harry; by calling him aside, the Hogwarts rumour mill will think the Headmaster suspected Harry having something to do with the attacks. The sheep would eat it up and Harry's credibility would take a beating.

"Do as you're told Mr Potter" said Dumbledore in a commanding voice. Harry mutely followed him, and just as he had suspected, the people forgot all about Draco Malfoy and instead started painting a target on his back. He looked at Professor Flitwick for support and the diminutive teacher nodded back to Harry with a determined expression on his face. But Harry knew that Flitwick couldn't do much. The Charms master was a half-goblin, and while many of them respected him for his accomplishments, he didn't really have any power at Hogwarts except the Head of House position.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster – just upstairs. Please feel free -" said Lockhart.

"Thank you Gilderoy" said Dumbledore. They entered the classroom and McGonagall flicked her wand and the lighting charms and torches came alive, bathing the office in bright light. Dumbledore examined the cat closely, his nose almost touching its fur. Filch was crying loudly and Lockhart was boasting loudly about his accomplishments.

"She's not dead Argus" said Dumbledore finally, cutting across Lockhart's monologue.

"Not dead? Then why is she all stiff and frozen?" he asked in a watery voice.

"She has been petrified. Although how, I cannot say - "

"Ask him!" interrupted Filch. "He did it! He did it! I know it!" he screeched.

"Enough!" said Harry in a soft voice, but the power the words were laced with were enough to shut Filch up. The caretaker looked at the furious expression on Harry's face and paled. Maybe he should have chosen someone else to blame for his cat's condition. The expression on Harry's face was nothing like the James Potter he remembered. Harry was flaring his aura around and bolts of lightning could be seen around his body.

"I would like to remind everyone in this room that I was at the feast along with the rest of the students and staff, and not once did I leave the Great Hall. I was on my way to Ravenclaw Tower along with the rest of the students when we encountered the spectacle. Since no one at the back knew what was going on I stepped forward to see what the holdup was about. It was then that I saw Mrs Norris frozen and heard Draco Malfoy sprout off insulting muggleborns with the M-word, for which I hexed him. Immediately Professor McGonagall came to the scene. The rest of the students would be able to confirm this. May I ask why I am being singled out Headmaster?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore stared into Harry's eyes, but he did not try a Legilimency probe. "Innocent until proven guilty, Argus" he said softly.

"Guilty of what?" asked Harry in a dangerous voice.

"My cat has been petrified! I expect to see some punishment!" said Filch.

Harry turned to face him and said in his cold voice "In that case punish yourself for getting careless with your pet. I will not be made a scapegoat just because you demand it. Get that inside the thick head of yours."

"Mr Potter" reprimanded McGonagall.

"You may go" said Dumbledore. He was mentally dancing a jig of joy. Harry had walked right into his trap. He probably should send a box of chocolates to Lucius Malfoy for inadvertently helping him. By the end of the year, he would have Harry back under his thumb and his plan could proceed as he desired. He would ensure that in a few months, Harry would be the most hated person in the castle, if not the country.

Harry quickly made his way to Ravenclaw Tower and his room; his housemates were giving him weird looks. As soon as he entered, he locked the door and hissed " _Open"_ at his trunk. The multi-compartment trunk opened and Harry stepped into the library compartment.

There were tomes of books Harry had copied from the Potter Library; they did not last long as they disappeared in a year but it was better than taking them out of Potter Castle and risking their accidental destruction. He browsed through the books until he took out the thick volume of Hogwarts: A History. He came to the part about the founders and struck gold.

" – _story goes that Slytherin built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing._

 _Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, and unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all those who were unworthy to study magic."_

 _" –_ _believed to be some sort of monster that only the heir of Slytherin can control."_

Harry closed his eyes and fell into a nearby armchair. It looked like he had underestimated Lucius Malfoy's plot. He would never have thought that the man was stupid enough to commit genocide inside a _school_ _that his own son attended!_ He concentrated on the words 'Chamber of Secrets' hoping he would get some information from Voldemort's memories. Nothing. He could feel that he knew it, but the information about the chamber was just out of his reach. It was frustrating! What sort of creature petrifies its victims? It didn't make any sense!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next few days, the school could talk about nothing else but the attack on Mrs Norris and about the Chamber of Secrets. Just as Harry predicted, him being singled out by Dumbledore caused the Hogwarts rumour mill to run wild. When Harry and Daphne were walking to class the next week, they saw Justin Finch-Fletchley take one look at Harry, turn abruptly and sped off in the opposite direction.

Daphne snorted. "These people really are stupid. Have they forgotten that your own mother was a muggleborn?" she said. She took her wand and cast a privacy charm around them.

"You think they care?" replied Harry. "You were absolutely right when you described them as sheep. Dumbledore is a bastard who's trying his best to make my life miserable and these people are lapping it up. What I wouldn't give to torture Filch right now . . ."

"The Dursleys would probably appreciate the additional company in your dungeon. How are they anyway? I'm disappointed that you still haven't introduced me to them" she said smirking.

"Oh, they're fine. It looks like they still haven't learnt their lesson yet. Petunia had the gall to call me a freak who deserves to be burned at the stake. She also threatened that the police would soon find them and then I would be arrested and publicly executed for holding them prisoner and for Dudley's death. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was staying in one of the most heavily warded castles in the world. Why my parents didn't move in there, I do not know. That's why I suspect foul play was involved" said Harry.

"Wow, talk about misplaced bravery. You don't threaten a Lord in his own castle. Did - "

"Hiya Harry!" said Colin Creevey, interrupting her.

"Hello Mr Creevey, how may I help you?" he asked the shorter boy.

"Harry – Harry – a boy in my class is saying that you're - " said Colin. But he couldn't finish his sentence because of the tide of people heading towards the Great Hall. "See you Harry!" he said and disappeared.

"What was a boy in his class saying about you?" asked Daphne in wonder.

"That I'm the heir of Slytherin, I guess. Well played Dumbledore. Oh, I should warn you; the mob may target you as well because you're my fiancé and not to mention a Slytherin. Add to the fact how cold we appear to other people, it's quite easy to pin us as Lord and Lady Slytherin, the bane of all muggleborns" said Harry.

Daphne shook her head. "Do you really think there is a Chamber of Secrets?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm sure of it. I know you feel I'm still keeping secrets from you, but I promise I'll come fully clean by Yule. I don't want to reveal some of my most prized secrets at Hogwarts. There's no telling what could happen if Dumbledore were to find out" he promised.

Daphne slowly nodded. They had started revealing their secrets to each other and she was getting miffed that he still hadn't told her the important stuff. But she could wait till Yule.

"Ah Harry!" shouted a voice. "Oh no" whispered Daphne.

Lockhart was walking towards them, wearing the most horrible neon robes. "I heard you're playing seeker in the first Quidditch game of the season? Ravenclaw vs Slytherin, eh? If you want any pointers you know where to find me. I was a fine seeker in my day, England's National team wanted me to play for them, you know. But I decided to use my talents by helping people defend against the dark forces. Good luck!" he said and left.

"I'd rather go naked than wear those ugly robes. Was he blind when he bought that contraption?" asked Daphne, disgusted.

"Probably. And what does he know about Quidditch anyway? I bet Tango can fly on a broom better than him" said Harry, grinning slightly. His grin slowly disappeared when he saw Daphne roll her eyes. "Oh come on! That was my best one yet! Can you imagine? Tango on a broomstick?" he asked, trying to make puppy dog eyes at her.

"Harry, I'm sure that Tango playing Quidditch would be funny, but there is no way that is a joke" said Daphne with amusement showing on her face. "But it was a lot better than the previous ones" she whispered to herself. "You're talented at many things Harry, but cracking jokes isn't one of them. When are you going to let it go? I mean, you've been trying to make me laugh for the past 5 months!"

" _Only_ five months. I will crack a good joke one day that will make you laugh. I mean, we have our whole lives. I'm bound to get lucky sometime" replied Harry.

Daphne mentally groaned. 'Merlin save me' was the thought running through her mind.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry woke up early on Saturday morning and practiced his Occlumency exercises to reduce his nervousness and stay calm. After an hour of intense meditation, he took a bath, dressed in his blue and bronze Quidditch robes and entered the Great Hall carrying his broomstick.

At eleven, the entire school proceeded to the Quidditch pitch. Daphne hugged him, wished him luck and sat in the stands along with Tracy. He entered the locker room where their captain, Abigail Turner gave them a pep talk. "Okay guys, we know that Slytherin has better brooms than us. All I'm going to say is do your absolute best. Use whatever trick comes to mind. Potter, do your best to catch the snitch early, we don't know how long we can last there. Good luck" she said.

Harry took a deep breath but had a small smirk on his face. His teammates were not very confident because of the Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones Lucius Malfoy had donated to the Slytherin team. But Harry had a plan, and he would ensure that Ravenclaw won today.

They flew off into the air and Madam Hooch said "Three . . . two . . . one . . ." and blew her whistle. The chasers moved to get the Quaffle and the game began.

"All right there Potty?" asked Malfoy. Harry mentally snorted at the name. Really, did Malfoy have no creativity what so ever? He smirked when he saw that Flint had the Quaffle. Harry dived to the ground, with Malfoy hot on his heels. He intercepted Flint, stole the Quaffle and passed it on to Turner, who while shocked, took it and scored.

"Ten-zero to Ravenclaw! Did you see that? It looks like Potter is playing an interfering seeker! And the tactic worked! There you go, you slimy snake" shouted Lee Jordan from the magical microphone.

"Jordan!" yelled McGonagall.

Harry smirked again as a bludger came towards him. He repeated his maneuver of twisting 360 degrees in mid-air and hit the bludger with his tail end of the broom towards one of the Slytherin chaser carrying the Quaffle. It hit him in the back and he dropped the Quaffle, which was taken by Roger Davies who scored.

"Twenty-zero to Ravenclaw! What a move by Potter! Never seen anything like it!" said Jordan, as the crowd roared. They seemed to have forgotten about the heir of Slytherin business.

Suddenly, a bludger came right at Harry. He effortlessly dodged it, but to his immense surprise, it came right back at him. He dived out of the way, but the bludger was relentless. "Keep playing!" he shouted to the Ravenclaw beaters who were trying to help him. "I'll never be able to play if you're in the way. Let me catch the snitch!" he yelled.

He kept diving and spinning and hanging upside down to avoid the bludger. The crowd was laughing, but he didn't care. "Training for the ballet, Potter?" asked Malfoy, laughing at him.

Just as he was about to dive again, he saw it. The golden snitch was hovering above Malfoy's ear and he suddenly accelerated, but in that fraction of a second before he had left, WHAM.

The bludger hit him at last, smashing his elbow and arm to pieces. He winced in pain, but this was nothing compared to what the Dursleys had done to him years ago. He extended his left hand and felt his fingers close around the snitch. He raised his fist to the air to signify that Ravenclaw had won, but then, the bludger came back. WHAM!

Harry was thrown from his broom and he fell to the ground. He could feel intense pain in his back and legs and blanked out.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry woke up feeling a searing pain all over his body and could also hear someone shouting.

"He should have brought him straight to me! Lockhart is not a healer! Who authorized him to try and heal Potter?" screamed a voice.

"Lockhart tried to heal me?" asked Harry from his bed.

He looked around to see the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and Daphne around his bed. "That was awesome Potter!" said Turner. "I never expected you to play an interfering seeker!" she said grinning at him. The rest of them complimented him as well.

"Yes well, all of you please leave. Potter will have to stay overnight in the Hospital wing because of his injuries" said Madam Pomfrey.

"Overnight? I'm pretty sure my injuries aren't that serious" said Harry looking at her.

"Your _original_ injuries could have been treated fairly quickly. Unfortunately, our dear Defence professor decided to heal your arm while you were unconscious. That man vanished the bones in your arm! You're in for a rough night Potter. Regrowing bones is a painful experience" she said, handing him a goblet containing Skele-Gro.

"Oh, that tastes horrible" said Harry grimacing. "What happened after I got hit?" he asked Daphne, as she was the only one still there.

"You should have seen Malfoy's face after you caught the snitch" she said, snickering. "But you were amazing Harry. I saw Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy too; something about having the snitch right above his head and not seeing it. He didn't seem happy" explained Daphne.

Harry chucked. They spent a few hours talking to each other until Madam Pomfrey chased her out. Harry sighed when he realised that he was alone with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm.

Hours later, he woke up in the pitch darkness and could sense a presence right next to his face. He yelped at the close contact and fired a wandless banishing charm and immediately summoned his wand to his hand. " _Lumos"_ he whispered and a soft glow appeared at the tip of his wand. "Dobby!" he said looking at the elf that was getting up from where he had fallen on the floor.

Dobby looked at Harry with teary eyes. "Hadrian Potter came back to school" he said miserably. "Dobby warned Hadrian Potter not to come to school. You should have stayed at home when you couldn't get onto the platform sir" said the elf.

Harry snorted despite himself. "It takes more than simply blocking the floo to stop me Dobby. But thank you. Because of that attempt, I had the wards around the castle modified so that no one else can do that again" he said.

"Hadrian Potter must go home!" said the elf, not listening to a word Harry had said. "Dobby thought his bludger would be enough to make - "

"Ah" said Harry cutting him off. "I should have known that it was you. What is it with me and bludgers anyway?" he said shaking his head.

"Please sir, go home. Dark deeds are planned at Hogwarts this year. Hadrian Potter is in terrible danger now that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened once more" said Dobby. The elf's eyes went wide and disappeared with a crack.

Harry looked into the distance and his eyes went wide. The chamber had been opened before? Voldemort had probably opened the chamber when he was at school! But there was no way that Voldemort could actually be inside Hogwarts attacking the students, could he? If the man had indeed returned, the first thing he would have done was murder Harry, the cause for his disembodiment. That was how he had gotten the flash of a large chamber with snakes on that Halloween night. Voldemort had been to the chamber long ago, so he knew what creature lived there. But if it was Voldemort, what did Lucius Malfoy have to do with this at all? Harry felt like pulling his hair out trying to figure out what was going on when he heard footsteps. He quickly flicked his wand, extinguishing the light and went back to bed.

Dumbledore barged into the infirmary levitating what looked like a statue with McGonagall in tow. The two, along with Madam Pomfrey were discussing the attack on Colin Creevey in hushed tones. When the old man tried to open the camera, Harry could immediately smell the burnt plastic.

"Melted" whispered Madam Pomfrey.

"What does this mean, Albus?" asked McGonagall, in a shaky voice.

"It means it is what I had feared" said Dumbledore gravely. "The Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened again."

"But Albus . . . surely . . . _who?_ " asked McGonagall.

"The question is not who" said Dumbledore, looking directly at Harry's sleeping form. "The question is how."

Harry fumed at Dumbledore pinning the blame on him again. He knew McGonagall was useless; she blindly followed Dumbledore like a lost puppy. There would be no use expecting her support. He also realised that Dumbledore also had figured out that it was Voldemort who was behind this and like him didn't know how it was possible.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 18**

 **"** ** _Expecto Patronum"_** **said the half-goblin. A silvery owl shot out of his wand and he said to the spectre "Madam Bones, we have two students who have claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a Hogwarts teacher."**

 **AN:** I actually liked McGonagall's character; until I realised that she had done absolutely nothing to help Harry over the years. She was okay with leaving a one-year-old baby on the doorstep of people whom she described as "worst muggles imaginable", that too in the middle of the night. Would she have done the same if she had to leave her child on the doorstep like that? Strike one.

She deducted 150 fucking points for being out of bed! That isn't logical. It's insane! That shows that she has no idea about the shunning or bullying that goes on in her house or just plain doesn't care. She then had the bright idea to send them inside the Forbidden forest at night, for walking around the castle at night. Is she sane? She didn't step up to protect her charge during the Chamber of Secrets fiasco or during the Triwizard Tournament. The only time she did was during the Career counselling session, but that was probably because she hated Umbridge.

So, if Dumbledore publicly shows his suspicion of Harry, telling her that he suspects him opening the Chamber of Secrets, how do you think she would react?

I rest my case. I know I have no right to rant like this, but I can't help it. It disgusts me how Harry was treated in canon.

Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

WARNING: SEXUAL SCENES ARE MENTIONED.

Chapter 18

The Hogwarts student body was in utter chaos for the next few weeks. News of Colin Creevey's petrification spread through the school like wildfire. The student body had decided to give Harry wide berths whenever he walked in the corridors; there was a rumour that Dumbledore himself suspected that Harry was behind the attacks. And no one could question the Headmaster; after all, he was Albus Dumbledore (Harry wondered how convenient it was that the entire school had forgotten about Dumbledore's debacle a year ago). What Harry found more annoying than the scared looks he got from the rest of the school was one Hermione Granger.

The rest of the muggleborns of the school had decided to stay the hell away from him. Harry didn't care about that; he spent most of his time with Daphne anyway. But there was no deterring one Hermione Granger. She and Ron Weasley kept following him around everywhere and it was starting to get annoying. He evaded them every time of course, but it was the principle of the thing!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"Nothing, there's absolutely no information about the opening of the Chamber of Secrets in the library" said Daphne, roughly throwing herself on the plush couch in the Room of Requirement. Harry had told her about Dobby's visit and about his suspicion that Voldemort might have opened the Chamber when he was in school.

"Damn" said Harry. He too had not been able to find any information. It was so bloody frustrating! "Oh well, keep trying. I have to go to Lockhart's office for another detention. Really, how much mail does the man get? It's ridiculous" he said in an exasperated voice.

Daphne laughed. "You underestimate the desperation of old housewives, Harry. You became the icon for the younger generation with those Harry Potter books and toys and other merchandise. Lockhart is the superhero for all those old women who don't have much fun in their lives anymore. Can you blame them?" she asked.

"I suppose not" said Harry. "I wish I could get rid of all those Boy Who Lived merchandise, but I can't. Dumbledore gave them permission when he was my magical guardian and I get a big share of the profits of the sales. There is no room for me to complain and so I can't take them down. Oh well, I can't win all battles. And in this Chamber of Secrets fiasco, there's no way to prove that I didn't attack them either. I don't want to risk my life by swearing a magical oath, and I don't want to risk Veritiserum questioning either."

Daphne got her and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, we'll find out who is behind these attacks. We are in this together" she said, holding his hand in hers.

Harry smiled into her hair. He kissed her forehead and left for the Defence classroom. When he entered the room, he found Cedric Diggory there as well.

"Mr Diggory what are you doing here?" asked Harry. From past experience, he knew he was the only one who had detention with Lockhart.

"Lockhart gave me a detention for refusing to play the werewolf in his play during class" said Cedric irritably.

Harry snorted. Leave it to the peacock to not teach the older students as well. "Well, he's going to make you write letters to his fans for several hours. Trust me, writing that and listening to his monologue describing his various achievements is dreadful. Come on, might as well get it over with" he said.

They crossed the classroom, knocked on Lockhart's office door and entered. There was no one there. Harry felt a presence behind him and he had just turned to look when Lockhart hit both boys with a stunner and they knew no more.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry got up with a groan. The first thing he sensed was that he couldn't move his arms and legs. His pulse quickened when he tried to recall what had happened. Then the memory flashed into his mind – he and Cedric Diggory were hit by a stunning spell by Lockhart. He mentally cursed himself for underestimating the useless Defence Professor and letting his guard down. He had been thinking the man was useless and not capable of magic and that had resulted in this situation. Harry realised with a jolt, that he had become overconfident in his abilities. He knew that he was exceptional, and that thought coupled with his talent and raw power had gone to his head, leaving him in this mess. He would have to fix that.

Harry opened his eyes and looked at the situation in shock. He and Cedric were lying on a large bed, in what he guessed to be Lockhart's quarters. What was terrifying was that both boys were stark naked. Harry started hyperventilating. Uncle Vernon had tried this once when he was six years old, but a strong burst of accidental magic had ensured that his uncle would not do anything like that again. That incident was what had made Uncle Vernon place red hot iron rods on his back and butt and later hit him with it. That was probably the most painful experience of his life; it had taken him nearly a month to recover, even with magic. He hated the fact that nobody in primary school had even bothered to find out why he was constantly in pain at that time; it did nothing but increase his hate of muggles. But he had never understood why his uncle had undressed him and touched him in that way, until a year ago.

When Sirius had explained him about sex, Harry had been thoroughly embarrassed. He could not look at Daphne in the eyes for three days, something which had baffled girl at the time. It was only after deactivating the mirror after the conversation that Harry understood that his Uncle Vernon had planned to rape him when he was six years old; and it was only due to accidental magic that he was able to get away, even though he wasn't able to avoid the onslaught later.

Remembering that memory still made Harry shudder and hyperventilate. He looked around and saw that Cedric was still unconscious and Lockhart was nowhere in sight. He had to get himself under control; he couldn't escape if he panicked. He breathed deeply concentrated on shutting his emotions away under his advanced Occlumency shields. He tried to get out of the body blind but to no avail. He found that he couldn't speak out loud, so calling a house elf was out of the question.

While Harry was struggling to get free, Cedric stirred. Cedric opened his eyes to look at the naked, struggling form of Harry Potter in front of him. He looked down and noticed that he himself did not have any clothes on and panicked. He looked around and realised that they were in Lockhart's quarters. What the hell was that man planning to do to them?

Just then, the door opened and a grinning Gilderoy Lockhart entered the room. He waved his wand and the two naked boys sat up straight at the end of the bed. He could see the anger in Harry's eyes and fear in Cedric's. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? Hadrian Potter and Cedric Diggory; considered as the two most handsome boys in the school by popular vote. I must say I agree, such beautiful boys" he said coming closer to them.

"Oh, there's no point in struggling Harry. You won't be able to get out of the several binds I've placed on you. Ah, what a body you have Harry. You are simply delicious, exotic" he whispered, running his hands over Harry's toned chest and stomach. "If you are this delicious when you're just 12 years old, I would love to know how you would be when you're older; you definitely are unnaturally good looking." Harry's eyes went wide when Lockhart's hands roamed down and touched his penis, stroking it. "Oh aren't you well developed for your age! How exquisite" he whispered. Harry started struggling harder, but it was no use.

After a minute playing with Harry's penis, he went over to Cedric to do the same. Harry relaxed a bit and closed his eyes. He _had_ to escape, quickly. Otherwise, he and Cedric were in trouble indeed. He concentrated on his magic and infused this body with it. This method was slow, but he hoped it would work. Harry's hair slowly started to turn white; his entire body slowly glowed white as well. He breathed deeply as he opened his eyes and started to push. He looked at Lockhart who was busy fingering Cedric's arse. Before he could do anything more, Lockhart was back in front of Harry. "Oh Harry, you really are a well-rounded package, aren't you?" he said, as he started running his fingers around Harry's hole. "I was in a dilemma whether to start with boys or girls, but decided on the former. I've already decided on the best prize for both. In case of boys, it's you, Harry. In case of girls, well, for a young girl, Miss Daphne Greengrass seems to be very beautiful. She's my next trophy, just like you're now mine" he said as he started to finger Harry's arse.

That was the trigger. Harry had always wanted a family; it was a symbol of people who cared about him – his elves, Aquila and Daphne fit that description. And now, Lockhart was threatening his family. His hair fully turned white, his entire body started glowing and with a scream, he broke free of the several bindings Lockhart had placed on him. With one powerful kick, he sent Lockhart flying to the wall. Harry was already well trained in martial arts, but when those punches and kicks were infused with magic, they were brutal.

He stood up and Lockhart could see Harry's green eyes were glowing – the colour of the _Avada Kedavra_ curse he thought. Harry's body was glowing with white light and bolts of lightning surrounded his body. He could also hear claps of thunder as heavy rain suddenly pelted against the windows of the room. When Harry slowly approached him, Lockhart couldn't help but think that Harry looked like the Ancient Greek wizard King Zeus. Lockhart pointed his wand at Harry, but the younger boy snarled and ran at the so-called Professor. Harry side steeped a curse and kicked the man in the groin and threw the man's wand to the other side of the room. He bent down and started punching and kicking Lockhart within every inch of his life. He was incredibly protective of Daphne and he was not going to spare Lockhart who wanted to _rape his future wife!_

"How dare you!" shouted Harry, as the storm outside grew fiercer. "How dare you sexually assault us? I have to say I underestimated you, but no longer. If you had touched one hair on Daphne's head, I would have literally chopped you into tiny pieces and fed you to dragons!"

After several minutes, he stopped his assault and looked at the frail and broken form of Gilderoy Lockhart. The man was unconscious because of all the pain Harry had inflicted, but very much alive. Harry hadn't done anything that would harm his life; he needed Lockhart alive to receive a trail. Harry flicked his finger involuntarily and to his surprise, his wand came to his hand; it looked like Lockhart did not check for wand holsters. His wand holsters were made of dragon hide and lined with Demiguise hair, to become invisible at will. He bound the man with ropes and for a good measure hit him with a Body Blind Curse as well.

Harry turned around to look at Cedric, still bound, looking at him with wide eyes. Harry flicked his wand at Cedric and the bindings around the other boy disappeared, and the older boy immediately fell to the floor – clearly he had been struggling to get out of the binds himself. Harry extended his hand to help the boy up, and he took it.

"I can't believe he would do something like this" said Cedric still shaking due to the horrible experience.

"Me too" replied Harry. "I always thought he was an idiot, who only cared about gold and selling his books, but I _never_ pegged him to be a paedophile."

Cedric took one look at their nakedness and walked to the other side of the room where he saw their clothes. He took them and passed the other set to the younger boy who muttered his thanks and they dressed in silence. "We need to call the teachers" said Cedric as he picked up his wand.

"Agreed; as much I would like to keep this quiet, we can't. We don't know how many other people he has molested. We'll need to make this public. Is that okay with you?" asked Harry.

Cedric nodded morosely. Harry sighed, and raised his wand to his throat. " _Sonorous._ Staff of Hogwarts, this is Hadrian Potter. Please come to the Defence classroom immediately. Repeat, teachers please report to the Defence classroom immediately. _Quietus"_ he said.

Harry and Cedric waited for a few minutes and suddenly the teachers barged into the room. "What happened here? What did you do Mr Potter?" asked McGonagall. Harry narrowed his eyes at the older woman. He had noticed that she had become colder to him lately, no doubt influenced by Dumbledore.

"Professors, Professor Lockhart just sexually assaulted and attempted to rape us both. Please call the DMLE immediately" said Harry.

"Mr Potter that is a wild accusation; I don't think - " began McGonagall, but was cut off by Professor Flitwick. " _Expecto Patronum"_ said the half-goblin. A silvery owl shot out of his wand and he said to the spectre "Madam Bones, we have two students who have claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a Hogwarts teacher. Kindly come to the Defence classroom in the castle immediately along with Mr Amos Diggory and Lord Sirius Black."

Professor Flitwick rounded on McGonagall and said in an angry tone "We have _protocol_ when it comes to sexual assault at Hogwarts, whether it is an accusation or not. Have you forgotten that Professor McGonagall? Would you have behaved the same if one of your lions were the victims instead? If this is indeed true, I will not allow one of my Ravenclaws to suffer while the accused goes scot free, and I'm sure that Professor Sprout agrees."

Professor Sprout nodded and turned to Cedric and asked, "Mr Diggory, is what Mr Potter says true?"

"Yes Professor" replied Cedric. "We both came to the Defence classroom because we had detention with Professor Lockhart. When we entered the classroom, we were stunned from behind. I woke up later to find both Harry and I naked, and then Lockhart came and sexually assaulted us. Before he could, ahm, rape us, Harry broke free of his bindings was attacked him. He then released me. We got dressed and called for you" he explained.

McGonagall paled and looked at Harry. What she found was the boy staring back at her, with a blank expression on his face, but with narrowed eyes. Before anyone could say anything more Albus Dumbledore burst into the room. "What's going on here Mr Potter?" he asked in an authoritarian voice.

"I would like to know that as well" said a voice at the door.

Everyone turned around to find a pink-faced Amelia Bones and Sirius Black standing at the doorway, along with two Aurors. Clearly, they had come running from the apparition point to the classroom.

"Amelia, Sirius, May I know what you're doing here at this late hour?" asked Dumbledore. He didn't know what was going on, but there was no way in hell was he going to let the DMLE take control of the situation. _He_ was the Headmaster of the school!

"I believe we can answer that Headmaster" said Harry quietly.

Everyone turned to look at him. Amelia discreetly took out a dicta-quill and nodded to Harry that she was ready. Harry looked at her and gave a slight nod and began. Just before he was about to begin, Amos Diggory came in as well, puffing. After introductions were made, Harry and Cedric began their story. They explained about the detention, how they were stunned in the back by Lockhart, how they found themselves bound and naked on his bed, how he touched them inappropriately and how he mentioned at he had Daphne Greengrass as one of his future targets, how Harry lost control, broke free of the bindings and attacked Lockhart and them calling the teachers.

Most of them in the room looked like they were going to be sick. Amelia pocketed her notes and moved to the broken form of Gilderoy Lockhart. She pointed her wand at him and said " _Rennevate_ ". Lockhart slowly got up and winced because of the pain. "Mr Lockhart, you have been accused of sexual assault of two underage wizards and attempted rape. How do you plead?" she asked.

"What? I didn't do anything like that!" said Lockhart in a shaky voice. "It was Filch! He was trying to harm them and I came to save the boys! But Potter attacked me! You have to arrest him!" he shouted desperately.

"You attacked a teacher?" asked Dumbledore and McGonagall at the same time. "Mr Potter, attacking a teacher is a serious offence. That means - " said Dumbledore but was interrupted.

" – nothing" said Sirius, putting his arm around his godson. "The boy was sexually assaulted and was almost raped, and his attack on the bastard was clearly self-defence" he said with narrowed eyes.

"Langaue, and - " said McGonagall but was again interrupted when Sirius said in a menacing voice "My godson and heir was almost raped by this paedophile that you and Dumbledore hired, and you ask me to mind my language? May I know what your priorities are, Professor McGonagall?" he asked angrily.

"Mr Lockhart, is this your wand?" asked Amelia. While the rest were arguing, she was gathering evidence.

"Yes" said Lockhart.

" _Priori Incantatem"_ she said immediately, pointing her wand at the top of Lockhart's. When she performed it repeatedly, she saw binding charms, a stunner and obliviation charm as well.

"Gilderoy Lockhart, you are under attest under the authority of the Director of Magical Law Enforcement of the British Ministry of Magic. You will be taken to a holding cell and will receive a trail in front of the Wizengamot. You are allowed to contact your lawyer if you have one, otherwise, you may defend yourself or request for one. Cuff him" she said and the two Aurors cuffed him with magic suppression shackles.

"I think it would be advisable for both Mr Diggory and Mr Potter to go home tonight and stay there until the trial. They have undergone a horrible experience tonight and I feel that being with their family would be better than staying at school and answering questions they might not want to answer yet" said Professor Sprout.

"I agree. Mr Potter, as your Head of House, I give you permission to go home until the trial" said Flitwick.

"Before you do, I would like to see the memory of the incident" said Dumbledore.

"I don't think so" said Harry. "I have no intention of having my naked body displayed to others nor do I want it displayed on the front page of the Daily Prophet, and I think Cedric would agree with me."

The other boy nodded. "I do" said Cedric.

Dumbledore's eye twitched, but before he could say anything, Amos Diggory took his son out of the room. Sirius followed him, his arm still around his godson. Amelia gave the Aurors instructions to place Lockhart in a holding cell and they all left. The group made their way to the Apparition point at the entrance of the school; the Diggories and Aurors Disapparated while Sirius, Amelia and Harry took a portkey to Black Manor.

Harry landed on his feet and immediately sat on the couch in the drawing room. His face was pale as the full ramifications of what had transpired sunk in. Sirius and Amelia looked at each other with worried looks on their faces. "Harry?" asked Amelia softly.

Harry looked at them both and saw they had worried expressions on their faces. "I'm fine" he said, reassuring them. "You know, I've been verbally, physically and emotionally abused. But after the talk with Sirius last year, I was glad I wasn't sexually abused as well; even though Uncle Vernon was close to doing that once too" he explained. "I just don't know how to react anymore. What do I do? Do I sit and cry? Do I throw a fit and destroy everything I see to control my anger? I really have no idea."

"You know what? This is actually my fault. No it really is" said Harry when Sirius opened his mouth to object. "I sensed Lockhart was behind me. I turned to look at him and that was when he hit us with a stunner. The reason I blame myself is because I underestimated him, which always leads to one's downfall. And what else happened is that I became too sure of myself; I became overconfident. Forgive me for my lack of modesty, but if not for my own skill, Cedric and I would have been raped and obliviated. My arrogance was the cause of my downfall. But never again" he said, his eyes glowing an intense green.

"Never again" he whispered to himself again.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, Hogwarts was in shock. Professors Flitwick and Sprout had explained the absence of Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory to their students. Daphne's eyes were bloodshot and her hands were shaking due to anger. How much more did Harry have to suffer? Wasn't what happened during his childhood enough? The rest of the student body was stunned by the fact that a Professor had attempted to rape two of their fellow students and had plotted to do the same to others in the future. The Chamber of Secrets incident was forgotten until that night, when one of the teachers found Justin Finch-Fletcheley and Nearly Headless Nick both petrified. It was only then that people realised that Harry couldn't be the Heir of Slytherin because he wasn't in the castle when Justin was attacked. But it didn't stop them from trying to speculate as to who it could be.

Harry woke up the next morning and panicked when he immediately didn't realise where he was, until he took a look at the Black family crest on the wall and relaxed. He was in Black Manor, safe. He blinked his eyes as remembered what had happened the previous night. Harry chuckled sadly when he realised that other children would have probably been scarred for life because of last night's incident; but he believed it didn't affect him much because he had undergone much worse at the Dursleys when he lived with them. But he was sure that would not have been the case had Lockhart actually raped him.

He finished his morning chores, put on the clothes Toby had left him and left the room. When he entered the informal dining room, he saw Sirius and Amelia finishing breakfast and having tea. He knew that Amelia had moved in with Sirius about a month ago, so he wasn't too surprised to find her there. "Good morning" he said as he entered.

Sirius and Amelia looked up and wishing him a good morning as well. Once Harry was served breakfast, Sirius hesitantly asked, "How are you feeling Harry?"

"I'm fine, I really am" replied Harry. "I know you feel like I might be traumatised, but I'm not, at least not so much that requires concern. "And thank you for coming to my aid last night. I really appreciate it" he said sincerely.

"Harry that's what families do" said Amelia, tearing her eyes from the newspaper in front of her. "We help each other. I may not have been able to take care of you during your childhood, but there is no way we're shrinking responsibilities now. Trust me when I say I looked for you. But I was blocked at every turn when I tried to gain guardianship of you and all files pertaining to you at the Ministry were sealed under the Office of the Chief Warlock. Any and all routes I could take were blocked. Besides, who would listen to a Senior Auror instead of Albus Dumbledore? By the time I was made the Head of the DMLE, it was too late" she grumbled.

"You, you both consider me family?" whispered Harry. He couldn't control his emotions much when that word was mentioned. "Thank you, Aunt Amy, Sirius" he said with thick emotion in his voice.

Both of them smiled at him and got up to give him a tender hug. "Don't worry Harry. Just relax for today. There will be an Emergency Session of the Wizengamort tomorrow, a full session, as this is a serious matter, pertaining to a national hero" explained Amelia. "I'm pretty sure we'll get approval to use Vertiserum and don't worry about Pensieve memories; I'll ensure that it never happens" she said, kissed Harry on the forehead and left for the Ministry.

Harry wiped a few tears from his eyes and looked at his godfather "How about we develop plans to prank Dumbledore and McGonagall?" he asked grinning a bit.

Sirius's eyes lit up. This was going to be fun.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 ** _PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 19_**

 ** _Just as the Chief Witch was about to speak, she was interrupted by someone saying "Hem Hem."_**

 **AN:** DUN DUN DUUUNNN! You didn't think I would forget about our resident toad, did you? She is the only person who is more hated than Voldemort, and I would love to make her pay.

Many people didn't want Daphne to be raped by Lockhart, and I totally agree. There was no way I would let that man go so far, and I didn't want to ruin the character of Daphne. How many of you guessed the second person assaulted was Cedric Diggory? Or for that matter how many of you guessed Harry was the target?

As for Harry becoming overconfident, well, it happens to the best of us at times and we have to learn from our mistakes. Harry certainly will. He will learn not to underestimate anyone from now on, and always be on guard. He will not escape from this incident unscratched as he believes, but that is for the future.

Many of you have asked me why Harry didn't recognise the voice to be parseltongue. You can either read the previous chapter for a hint I've mentioned, or you can wait for a couple of chapters until I explain it.

Merry Christmas and please review!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The Wizengamot functioned as both the Legislative and Judicial bodies of the British Magical government. Half the seats were comprised of Most Ancient and Noble Houses like Potter, Longbottom, Greengrass and Black; Ancient and Noble Houses like Bones, Smith, Nott, Macmillan and Lestrange; and finally Noble Houses like Malfoy, Davis, and Selwyn. Although the Malfoys were only a Noble House, they tended to throw their weight around by bribing others to get their work done. They were a family not of British origin and had migrated to the place after been booted out of France. It was widely speculated that Lucius Malfoy's father had bribed several members of the Wizengamot and the Ministry to get their family ennobled. But they weren't an Ancient House, something which rattled Lucius and Draco Malfoy.

Ten to fifteen per cent of the Wizengamot was reserved for the Ministry's Department Heads and Heads of major sub-departments as well, along with the holders of Orders of Merlin and elderly, wise people from around the country like Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden along with youth representatives. The rest of the thirty-five to forty per cent was filled by members who were directly elected by the people of Magical Britain. Those who wanted to contest for a seat had to file an application with the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and stand for election. The people would then vote for their candidate and the elected members would hold their seats for a period of seven years, the same tenure as the Minister of Magic and Chief Warlock.

The Minister of Magic was also voted in by the people. Any adult who was a citizen of Magical Britain meeting the required standards could contest in the election, but the candidate needed a majority vote in the Wizengamot to be able to be sworn in as Minister, along with the majority of votes cast by the people. The Chief Warlock, on the other hand, was chosen only by the members of the Wizengamot. Both positions were the highest positions a witch or wizard could hold in the British Magical world. The Minister of Magic was the face of the country, having executive powers, while the Chief Warlock acted as the speaker in case of legislative sessions and wielded judicial powers in case of trials. But the latter did not have absolute control over the judgements he delivers, as the Wizengamot may choose an alternative punishment should the majority decide that they did not agree with the decision of the Chief Warlock. The Minister represented the people and government while the Chief Warlock represented the Wizengamot. It was early during Dumbledore's third term as Chief Warlock was he impeached from office. Therefore, the government was a perfect blend of the old families; the intelligent and powerful; and the democratically elected people. This form of governance was more or less similar all over the Magical world in other countries as well.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was 10 AM when the members of the body assembled into the Wizengamot chamber. Unlike a regular session, an emergency session did not specify the agenda for the day as it usually was called for high profile criminal cases, which were passed on to the Wizengamot instead of dealing with it at the Council of Magical Law, where the usual trials took place. Legislative matters were usually carried out during the regular sessions.

Harry was wearing well-designed robes for the occasion, as he stood next to Cedric Diggory who mutely nodded to him. Harry watched as Albus Dumbledore took his seat along with the other members, with a grim smile on his face. The old man had not been able to retake his position of Chief Warlock; instead, Dowager Lady Acton was elected to the post. She was from the grey faction and had a strict no-nonsense expression on her face. She called the Wizengamot in session.

"Madam Bones" she boomed. "What is the agenda for this session?"

"We have a man who has been accused of sexual harassment and attempted rape of two minor boys, both students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" she Amelia.

The chamber was deathly still as rape was an extremely serious offence in the magical world, especially if the victims were minors. "Who is the accused and who are the victims, Madam Bones?" asked Lady Acton.

Amelia cleared her throat and in a firm voice said, "The accused is Mr Gilderoy Lockhart, the present Defence against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts; and the victims are two boys – Cedric Diggory, 15 and Lord Hadrian Potter, 12."

The people were outraged. To think someone had the gall to rape their national hero was something they couldn't imagine. "Bring them in" said the Chief Witch.

Gilderoy Lockhart was brought in by two Aurors and made to sit on the chair. Chains immediately sprang up around his writs, holding him in place. Behind him, Cedric Diggory and Hadrian Potter entered the chamber and took their seats at the designated place for the plaintiff.

"Gilderoy Lockhart, you have been brought before the Wizengamot as you have been accused of sexual assault of two minor boys, along with attempted rape of Cedric Diggory and Lord Hadrian Potter. How do you plead?" asked Chief Witch Acton.

"Not guilty of all charges, I tell you! I was trying to save them! You must help me" shouted Lockhart. He looked ragged, and Harry knew that was because he was roughed up to get rid of his Occlumency shields, even though the man's shields were rudimentary.

"So noted" said the Chief Witch. "Madam Bones, proceed with your case."

Amelia spent the next ten minutes explaining to the members what had happened Saturday night. She showed them the memory of her interrogating Cedric and Harry after the incident. She again performed the Reverse spell effect on Lockhart's wand to prove that he had indeed used those spells last, which were described by the boys.

"I would like approval of this august body to grant the DMLE the right to use Veriteserum on the accused. We still have no idea if he has molested any victims prior to his attack of Mr Diggory and Lord Potter" said Amelia.

Just as the Chief Witch was about to speak, she was interrupted by someone saying " _Hem Hem."_

Amelia mentally groaned when she heard that sound. She really hated Dolores Umbridge, the newly appointed Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. She was a bitch, and a nasty piece of work, not to mention a personal friend of Lucius Malfoy.

"The chair recognises Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic" said the Chief Witch, with a bit of distaste. Clearly, she didn't like the woman either. Harry looked at Umbridge, and he had to control himself from laughing at the sight before him. Umbridge was a very short, plump woman, whose face resembled a toad. In fact, Harry was sure that she was going to croak any moment.

" _Hem Hem._ Thank you Chief Witch Acton" said Umbridge in a fake surgery sweet voice. Her eyes landed on Harry, and Harry saw that she had an evil glint in her eyes. Whatever she was going to say, he was sure he wasn't going to like it. "I was wondering if the Wizengamot could view _Mr_ Potter's memory of the event. If he is not _lying,_ I'm sure he would have no objection to do so, don't you agree?" she asked and gave a girlish giggle at the end.

Harry's eyes flashed an intense green. Before anyone could say anything, Sirius stood up and said "Objection, Chief Witch."

"The chair recognises Lord Sirius Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and Regent of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter" said Lady Acton.

"Thank you, Chief Witch. I would like to object to Madam Umbridge's proposal because it is _unethical._ This is because the memory in question shows both Mr Diggory and _Lord_ Potter being sexually assaulted, and that being the case, both of them were forced to be completely undressed. I will not have my godson's naked body be displayed to the public nor will I have it on the front page of the Daily Prophet, and I'm sure Mr Diggory and rest of the members of this august body approve as well" he said firmly.

" _Hem Hem._ Are you suggesting that the boy in question may be _lying_? Mr Lockhart is a very famous author. Accusing him without presenting the main source of evidence is rather convenient, is it not? Especially considering how much publicity _Mr_ Potter would get just to bring the man here" said Umbridge smiling sweetly at Harry.

"I would advise you to refer to Lord Potter by his official title, Madam Umbridge" said the Chief Witch. "He may not sit on the Wizengamot yet, but he is still a member. You will show the respect a member of this body deserves" she said severely.

"Chief Witch, if I may?" said Augusta Longbottom.

Harry saw Lady Acton's mouth twitch into a small smirk, but she replaced it very quickly, others not noticing it. Harry understood the reason why; Augusta Longbottom was a fierce witch, known for her forceful speeches in the Wizengamot and was a power to be reckoned with, much like Charlus Potter had been when he was alive. Neville had told him that she was overbearing and a hard-ass, but was fiercely protective of her family. She had cursed her brother into next week and back and cut off all contact with him for two years when the man had dropped Neville from the third floor of the manor. But Neville had confided in Harry that his grandmother had changed her attitude once she saw that her grandson was indeed talented in magic after gaining a new wand. She had apologised to Neville and had even got him several exotic plants for his greenhouse for his birthday.

"The chair recognises Dowager Augusta Longbottom, Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom" said the Chief Witch.

"We are here to preside over the trial of Gildeory Lockhart because he has been accused of sexual assault and being a paedophile" said Lady Longbottom. "And if we are to understand Dolores Umbridge's words correctly, she is being the same and making us paedophiles as well by making this body watch the memory of a man sexually assault two naked boys. Is that what you cared to imply Madam Umbridge?" she asked in a lofty voice.

"How dare you!" said Umbridge, her face turning red. "I only want to view - " she said but was cut off by Sirius.

"If you are so hell bent on watching that memory Madam Umbridge, then I'll be happy to oblige by giving you the memory as well declaring a blood feud on you and your family" said Sirius in a calm voice. He knew there was nothing more to be said. The reputation of his family would see to that. "Are you willing to accept a blood feud declared by House Black against you, Madam Umbridge?"

People started murmuring and noise grew in the chamber. Umbridge went white as a sheet when she head Sirius's statement. Blood Feud was very serious business indeed, and hadn't been witnessed for almost two hundred years. It showed the Wizengamot just how far Sirius was willing to go to protect his godson. Harry was touched, and his eyes got a bit misty, but he reinforced his mental shields and the emotionless mask was back in place.

"Order!" said the Chief Witch as she banged her gravel on the desk. The hall quietened down. "That won't be necessary Lord Black. The proposal to view the victim's memory is denied. All those in favour of questioning the accused under Veritaserum?" she asked.

The majority of the members lit their wands and the motion passed. Amelia nodded to an Unspeakable stationed there and the woman came forward and administered three drops of the serum down the man's throat.

"What is your name?" asked Amelia.

"Gilderoy Lockhart" he answered in a monotone.

"In which house were you sorted into when you were at Hogwarts?"

"Ravenclaw" he replied.

Amelia looked at the Chief Witch, who nodded.

"Describe the events that took place on Saturday night involving Cedric Diggory and Hadrian Potter."

"Both boys had detention with me" said Lockhart. "When they entered, I was standing behind the door. Potter sensed me and turned back but I quickly stunned them both. I locked the door and levitated them to my bedroom. I removed their all their clothes and bound them with several binding spells. After fifteen minutes I entered the room to find both boys awake and struggling. I made them sit up and I began touching Harry Potter. I felt the boy was unusually beautiful and I wanted him as a prize. Cedric Diggory was older and could pleasure me, but Harry Potter was my trophy" he said much to the disgust of the Wizengamot.

"I stroked his penis for a minute and went and did the same to Diggory. I was playing around with Diggory's arse for a few minutes when I saw Potter struggling to get free. I wasn't worried since those charms were strong. So I went over to Potter and started fingering his arse. That's when to my surprise Potter broke free of the bindings. I was too shocked to react and he kicked me. I landed on the other side of the room. It was then I realised I had to neutralise him; Potter was clearly very powerful for his age. I threw curses at him, but he dodged them all. He looked very angry as he charged at me and beat me up. His punches and kicks were very painful, and I blanked out" he said in a bland voice, but wincing at the same time.

Many members had their mouth open in shock. Such incidents were unheard of in the magical world. Amelia cleared her throat and asked "Who were your other targets?"

"Daphne Greengrass - " he said but was interrupted when a voice roared "WHAT?"

Everyone turned to look at the furious face of Lord Cyrus Greengrass. "What do you mean Daphne was your target?" he roared at the man.

"She too is exceptionally beautiful for her age" replied Lockhart in the same voice. "She was my prize when it came to girls just like Potter was my prize in case of boys and I was planning on calling her to my office next after doing Potter. It was after mentioning Greengrass that Potter lost control and broke free of the bindings. He said that if I had touched one hair on her head, he would have cut me into pieces and fed me to dragons."

Cyrus snorted and smirked at Harry. Harry looked at his future father-in-law and smirked slightly as well and nodded to him. Harry didn't realise that he had just won some serious brownie points with his in-laws.

"Was it your intention to rape both boys?" asked Amelia.

"Yes" replied Lockhart amid outrage around him.

"Have you touched any other student in an inappropriate way?"

Lockhart gave the names of a few students who he had fondled, but nothing too serious. He had obliviated each of them so that they remembered nothing later.

"Chief Witch, if I may?" asked Harry, standing up. People looked at him with surprise, as a minor did not participate in the proceedings. The heirs of noble families were brought to the sessions to teach them of the working of the Wizengamot, but they very rarely spoke out.

"The chair recognises Lord Hadrian Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter" said the Chief Warlock.

"May I ask the accused an important question, which deviates from this case? I assure you it might be quite enlightening and may uncover further crimes which have been masked" asked Harry. The Chief Witch frowned but nodded.

"Madam Bones, please ask the accused if what he has written in his books are true and if he really did achieve all those feats of magic" said Harry.

" _Hem Hem._ Objection; this question is irrelevant. It has nothing to do with this case" said Umbridge.

"Objection overruled. He already said it deviates from the case. Proceed, Madam Bones" said Lady Acton irritably.

"Mr Lockhart, are the books written by you factual? Did you actually do all the different feats mentioned in the book?" asked Amelia. She had to admit she was curious herself.

"No" came the reply.

"Elaborate" snapped Chief Witch Acton.

"I found people who had achieved all those great deeds. I interrogated them, later obliviated them and presented them as my work" he said.

"Give us the names of all your obliviated victims" she snapped again.

People were stunned as the list was quite long. Harry watched a press reporter write down furiously, even though a dicta-quill was writing the whole thing down. He was grateful that Rita Skeeter had not come to the session.

"I order the DMLE to contact all the victims and do their best to restore their memories. Gilderoy Lockhart, you have been found guilty of all your crimes. I would like the members to suggest a suitable punishment" said the Chief Witch.

"Give him the Dementor's kiss" snarled Cyrus Greengrass.

"Now, Chief Witch" said Dumbledore. The man had been quite all this time, and it looked like he could not stay quite anymore. "I agree that his crimes are numerous, but isn't death too harsh a punishment? I suggest a few years in Azkaban will make the man regret his actions. He should be allowed to grieve, and after that, I'm sure he'll turn out to be an honourable man. We should learn to forgive and give him a second chance" he said.

Normally, this speech would have worked wonders and Lockhart would have been placed in a low-security cell for a year because of Dumbledore. But the old warlock had overestimated his popularity after the debacle of last year. His words caused uproar within the chamber. "How dare you?" shouted one. "He tried to rape our children and you expect us to forgive him?" shouted another woman. "You're the one who hired him Dumbledore, you're responsible as well!" shouted someone else.

"Order! Order!" shouted Lady Acton. Finally, she let out a cannon blast from her wand and the hall quieted down. "While I agree that Dementor's kiss is extreme, there is no way this man is going scot free. All those who are in favour of confining the man for life in Azkaban?" she asked.

Almost all the members lit their wands. "So convicted. Gilderoy Lockhart, you are hereby sentenced to life in a maximum security cell in Azkaban. Take him away" she said.

Harry and Cedric looked at each other and smiled grimly. They were quite happy with the conviction. Harry looked at Dumbledore, whose eyes were blazing with fury. He would have to tread carefully for the next few months. There was no telling what the old headmaster would do.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry and Cedric came back to Hogwarts that evening amid whispers around them. Harry didn't care to go into the Great Hall, so was on his way to the Room of Requirement when he heard someone call out "Harry!" The next thing he knew, he was engulfed in a tight hug. He stiffened as usual, but he could smell Daphne's perfume so he wasn't worried. He hugged her tight and could feel the tension melt away. Daphne rubbed soothing circles on his back and asked, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine" he whispered, still holding her to his chest.

Daphne pulled away slightly, cupped his face and said, "You always say that. Harry, I'm worried about you. While incidents like this aren't common in the wizarding world, I've heard it's the opposite in case of muggles. I can't imagine what state I would be if the same thing had happened to me. Are you truly alright?" Her face was filled with worry.

Harry smiled at her. "I really am alright Daphne, I promise. I broke free of the bindings before Lockhart could go any further. In fact, what really got to me was when he mentioned that you were his next target" he said.

Daphne's eyes went wide. "I was his next target?" she whispered.

Harry nodded grimly. He took her hand in his and said "I would never have allowed that. I will always protect you, Daphne. Even if it costs me my life, I will never let anything happen to you."

Daphne looked up and started into his eyes. Vivid green eyes met the deep blue orbs as they started at each other for several seconds. They moved closer, their faces almost touching each other. Daphne could feel Harry's breath on her face. Their lips were an inch apart. They closed their eyes, and just as their lips were about to meet –

"HARRY!" shouted a voice. Harry and Daphne suddenly flung away from each other, their faces beet red with embarrassment. They heard footsteps and soon they were joined by Neville, Hannah, Susan and Tracy. "Hey mate, we heard what happened. Are you alright?" asked Neville concerned.

Harry reinforced his Occlumency to control his emotions as he answered Neville. He couldn't believe he was that close to kissing Daphne! While he had dreamed about it, he didn't think he would actually do it! He looked at Daphne who was looking anywhere else but at him. He sighed when he realised that it was going to be a bit awkward around each other now. Why did Neville have to interrupt them?

The next day the Daily Prophet arrived as usual. Harry smirked when he saw the headlines.

 _GILDEROY LOCKHART SENTENCED FOR LIFE IN AZKABAN!_

 _CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING CHILDREN AND ILLEGAL OBLIVIATION!_

The article was pretty accurate as it described him and Cedric Diggory almost being raped by the man, how he was brought in front of the entire Wizengamot, how Dolores Umbridge had wanted to see the memory of the incident, of Sirius and Augusta objecting to it citing morals, how Sirius had finally threatened to declare a blood feud against Umbridge unless she desisted, how Lockhart was dosed with Veritaserum where he confessed to it all, how he wanted to rape the boys and claim Harry Potter as his prize, how Daphne Greengrass was his next target, how he had obliviated so many people and stolen their work and sold his books claiming the deeds were done by him, how Albus Dumbledore suggested a light punishment but was slapped down and finally how the man was sentenced to life imprisonment. Neither Dolores Umbridge nor Albus Dumbledore came out shining after the article.

Witches and Wizards all over the country were spluttering and were stunned beyond belief. A few of Lockhart's greatest fans like Molly Weasley were still in denial, saying that it could not be true. But no one paid any attention to them as more than a few children had been harmed by the man, and they were screaming for his blood.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"Nearly headless Nick was petrified along with that Hufflepuff boy?" asked Harry disbelievingly. They were on their way back to London, sitting in the Hogwarts Express. Harry didn't have any time before now to ask his friends about the Chamber of Secrets attacks as people were asking him and Cedric what had happened. He had deflected most of the questions with some clever use of wandless compulsion charms, but the fourth year Hufflepuff wasn't so lucky.

"Yeah" said Tracy. "They were found by the teachers on Sunday night. People are terrified to even walk the hallways alone as they think they're the next ones to be attacked. Really, what could harm a ghost?"

Harry pondered the same question. He still hadn't figured out what was behind the attacks. But a ghost getting petrified was troubling. It meant the creature, whatever it was, was more dangerous than he thought. He had tried figuring out what creature it could be, but none of the creatures fit the description for the attacks. The only thing that came close was a Basilisk, but he had scrapped that idea immediately; Basilisk stare causes death, not petrification. Besides, how could a thirty-foot long snake travel around the school without anyone seeing it? And while Salazar Slytherin might have hated muggles, there was no way he would have kept something as incredibly dangerous and deadly as a Basilisk in a school full of children! Even the thought of a giant snake in the bowels of the castle made Harry shudder. No, this creature was something different. What was it?

"But at least no one suspects you of being the Heir of Slytherin anymore" said Susan.

Harry nodded but was mentally wondering what Dumbledore's next move would be. He knew the aged Headmaster would do everything in his power to ensure that Harry would be cornered this year. So far, it wasn't anything bad. There were whispers, a few scared faces, but that was it. But he was worried what would happen in the next semester.

Once they reached Kings Cross station, Harry and his friends climbed out of the train and began searching for their families. This time, Sirius had insisted on coming to pick Harry up at the station, overruling Harry who claimed that he didn't want to be a burden. Harry found Sirius talking to Susan's parents. He said goodbye to his friends and portkeyed to Black Manor for the Yule holidays.

A few days later, Harry went to Greengrass Manor to meet Daphne. He had promised her that he would come clean with all his secrets during the holidays and he intended to keep his word. He wasn't worried about someone reading her mind as he had extensively trained Daphne in Occlumency for the past year. She still had to improve, but that would come with experience over the years. But he could confide in her without any fear.

Cyrus Greengrass was leery of letting his daughter go to Harry's house alone, but Harry promised him that they wouldn't do anything inappropriate. The man was only convinced after Harry proposed to swear a magical oath that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her, but thankfully Cyrus had told Harry that it wasn't necessary. Cleary, the older man had not yet forgotten Lockhart saying that his daughter was supposed to be his next target, so was quite fidgety.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The fireplace at Potter Castle burst into emerald flames as two people stepped out. Harry flicked his fingers and the soot on both of them disappeared. "Welcome to Potter Castle, welcome home" he said, smiling at her.

Daphne took in the red and silver colours of the walls and the large Potter crest too. "Looks a bit Gryffindorish, don't you agree? Remove the silver and replace it with gold and it would be perfect" she said with a smile smirk.

Harry burst out laughing but didn't voice out the irony of her statement. It was highly speculated among various people in Wizarding Britain that a daughter of the Gryffindor family had married into the Potter family. But what was unknown to anyone other than the members of the House of Potter was that Godric Gryffindor's only daughter, Geraldine Gryffindor had married Alan Potter. Godric considered Alan his prodigy, having personally trained the young Potter heir in the field of Battle magic. Harry didn't know the exact story, but he knew for a fact that Godric Gryffindor had spent his last days at Potter Castle. In fact, the Founder's body was buried in the Potter family's graveyard as well. So it was quite funny when Daphne described the decorations as Gryffindorish, even though the family crest and colours were chosen long before the time of Godric.

Harry gave her a tour of the large castle and described a bit about its history. After that, he took her to his study and gave her a small box. "What's this?" asked Daphne.

"A gift, for Yule" replied Harry with a smile.

Daphne opened the box and her eyes went wide when she saw what was inside. She took out a beautiful heart shaped Platinum Locket, studded with multiple diamonds. It really was spectacular. "Open it" whispered Harry.

Daphne opened the locket to find two pictures of her and Harry together. In one, both of them were blowing kisses at each other; it was really adorable. The other one showed both of them hugging each other, nuzzling the other's face adoringly. The picture really was amazing and spoke volumes. Harry took the chain and gently placed it around her neck. Daphne hugged him tightly, idly noticing that he didn't stiffen to her touch as much as he did before. "Thank you. I love it" she said.

"You're welcome" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"By the way, what is it with you and diamonds anyway?" she asked teasingly. "First the ring, then the bracelet, and now the locket; I must be the luckiest girl in the world."

Harry blushed, just as the portrait of Dorea Potter burst out laughing. They turned to look at her when Harry's painted grandmother said "You'll have to blame me for that I'm afraid. I was very fond about diamonds when I was alive and it looked like it passed on to my grandson as well. He constantly wears a diamond chain designed for men around his neck, do you know that? And now it looks like it is his preferred gift to you as well!"

"Well, I certainly don't have room to complain, Lady Potter. He really has an exceptional taste" said Daphne, touching the locket. "Mother would be so jealous; Father is horrible when it comes to buying jewellery. I should know; he bought me something that looked so terrible that Mother was horrified. So I'm actually very lucky" she said grinning.

"Before we start our discussion, I have something for you as well" said Daphne, interrupting Harry who was about to open his mouth. She called for a house elf that brought her a rectangular package. She handed it to Harry and said "Happy Yuletide, Harry"

Harry slowly opened the package. It turned out to be a book, stitched in beautiful deep red leather, with the Potter crest embossed on the cover. He opened it and gasped. On the first page was a picture of his parents, holding him as a baby. Written below the photograph, was clearly in Daphne's neat handwriting ' _James, Lily and Harry Potter. 31_ _st_ _July 1981. Potter Manor'_

He turned the pages and found more pictures of his parents. Many of them were of James and Lily growing up at Hogwarts, pictures which were taken when they had started dating, pictures of their wedding, pictures of baby Harry, pictures of Harry riding on Padfoot and Prongs, Harry riding on a toy broomstick around the manor's grounds, and more. Harry couldn't see more as tears were blurring his vision. He turned to face Daphne who said "I got these pictures from your parents' friends. Lord Black was more than happy to provide them to me, but I'm pretty sure he was kicking himself for not thinking of the idea first. I didn't know where to find pictures of your mother until I remembered you telling me that Alice Longbottom is your godmother. So I asked Neville to look for any pictures he could find during the summer, and thankfully he found quite a few. As for your baby pictures, well, let's just say that your house elves really adore you, not to mention they wanted to get to know their future Lady Potter and see if I was up to their standards and worthy of being your wife. The good news is that I passed with flying colours! They now -"

She was cut off by Harry placing his lips on hers. Daphne was momentarily stunned by the kiss, but closed her eyes and put her arms around his neck. Their lips moved slowly against each other, and after few more seconds, they broke apart. Harry immediately hugged her tightly and cried silently into her neck. Daphne didn't know how to deal with an emotional Harry, but she gently stroked his hair and hugged him back. After a minute, Harry breathed deeply and got his emotions under control.

"Thank you, Daphne. This is the best gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you so much" he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Anything for you Harry" she said, smiling at him.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 20**

 **Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and an enormous bird appeared out of thin air. Daphne screamed and latched onto Harry, but he didn't pull away. "He's not going to hurt you" he whispered in her ear.**

 **AN:** As I said, I don't like the concept of the Magical world being backward as compared to the muggle world; if they have magic, there is no way they cannot be ahead of the muggles. But there are some instances where that is not the case, and this is where Harry tries to help. Hope you like my description of the government. And yes; Harry does suspect it to be a Basilisk, but as you can see, he doesn't believe it is possible. The reason for which is explained in the chapters that are to follow.

Some of you have complained about the previous chapter, saying that I should have posted a warning about the graphic scenes. Well, I didn't think it was necessary because as I said, there is a reason this story is rated M, even though such scenes are very infrequent. Though I will post the warning next time if that's what my viewers would prefer.

Enjoy!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Harry and Daphne found themselves sitting in the family living room at Potter Castle, sipping hot chocolate. "Okay Daphne, I promised to reveal my secrets to you during the holidays, and I intend to keep my promise. Your Occlumency has developed quite well over the past year, but I still want you to practice every night because people like Albus Dumbledore can extract information from you by force if necessary. But I really doubt anyone is that stupid to try" said Harry.

Daphne nodded and motioned for him to continue.

Harry took a deep breath and continued. "You can say that I was born gifted. I started performing accidental magic when I was just a few months old, something which is very rare among babies, because kids usually start showing signs of active magic much later. From what I've read from my parents' journals, Dumbledore used to frequently visit me, and the frequent visits and the 'gleam in his eye' according to my mother, made her quite uneasy."

"You've read the article in the paper asking why Voldemort specifically targeted me. The reason why is because there was a prophecy made a few months before my birth" At this, Daphne gasped. Harry continued saying "The prophecy was made by Sybill Trelawney, the Divination teacher at Hogwarts, to Albus Dumbledore. It was during her recital that Severus Snape overheard part of the prophecy and relied it to Voldemort. The first half of the prophecy said that a boy would be born at the end of July to parents who had thrice defied the Dark Lord, and the said boy would have the power to vanquish the Dark Lord."

"Dumbledore in his infinite wisdom, had concluded that only two expecting mothers could be subject to the prophesy. Both women were members of Dumbledore's secret organisation 'The Order of the Phoenix', and both were pregnant and expected to deliver at the end of July. The two women were Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom" said Harry. Daphne went pale.

"Unfortunately, Voldemort had come to the same conclusion as well. A few months later, on the 30th of July, 1980, Neville Francis Longbottom was born. A few hours later, in the wee hours of the 31st of July, Hadrian James Potter was born. A spy was infiltrated into the ranks of the Order; Voldemort was now after the two infants. Both our fates were sealed."

"But what was against Voldemot was that both families were the heads of Most Ancient and Noble Houses; Frank and Alice Longbottom along with James Potter were Aurors and fierce duellists; Lily Potter was an Unspeakable and was well known for being highly gifted in magic; both Potter Manor and Longbottom Manor were heavily warded. Assassinating them wasn't going to be easy, even with a spy involved."

Harry took a sip of his drink and continued "They evaded Voldemort for more than a year. By then, the war had taken a toll for the worse. So many witches and wizards were dying, there was rash muggle killing, the International Statute of Secrecy was close to being shattered to pieces, and the Ministry had a tough job of keeping magic secret from the muggles. Had the muggles found out about magic, Voldemort would be the least of their problems, as it could have been the ignition of a war between magicals and muggles all over the world. The members of the Order were slowly getting killed off one by one. My parents were alone as well as my grandparents, Charlus and Dorea had been murdered by a group of twenty Death Eaters just a year back. Everyone knew there was a spy, but no one knew who it was."

"The Order was certainly very inefficient, Dumbledore saw to that. Even though Barty Crouch, the then Director of the DMLE authorised lethal force, Dumbledore was dead set against it. That was the major reason for us that set us on the path to losing the war; we can't win if we use stunning spells against Death Eaters who use dark magic of deadly power. Of course, not everyone followed his instructions; the Prewett twins, my parents, Sirius, the Longbottoms and Alastor Moody come to mind. The old man didn't even ask check if any of the members were Death Eaters! A magical vow would have been sufficient to flush out the spy! But he didn't do it."

"Voldemort only knew the first half of the prophecy. After Snape told him, he verified that if it was indeed true with Augustus Rockwood, his informant within the Department of Mysteries, but he didn't listen to it in its entirety. So he didn't realise that there could be a danger by attacking me. But by this time, Dumbledore was getting impatient. My parents were just too good at eluding Voldemort and his Death Easter. I'm not sure if the old man deliberately painted a target on my family when he heard the prophecy, but he definitely did make sure that I was the target soon enough. In October 1981, Dumbledore somehow convinced my parents to move from Potter Manor to a small cottage in Godric's Hollow. I'm still not sure why my parents did it, because even if Potter Manor was vulnerable, there were several properties they could relocate to as we have homes all over the world. I'm not sure why they didn't consider moving into Potter Castle considering that this place is as old as Hogwarts and a stronghold of Ancient Magic and Potter family wards. That's why I suspect Dumbledore used mind altering spells or potions on them; because there is absolutely no way they would have moved into a small cottage with minimal wards."

Harry took a deep breath and said "Now is where things get murkier. Peter Pettigrew was the spy in the Order of the Phoenix, even though Dumbledore claims he didn't know it. Now Dumbledore is a master at Legilimency and there is no way a weak wizard like Peter Pettigrew had Occlumency shields. You know how much you have struggled to develop your mental shields; I commend you on the dedication you have shown over the past year Daphne, because most adult witches and wizards give up because of how difficult it is. In the last week of October 1981, the Fidelius Charm was set up by Dumbledore, with Peter Pettigrew as the Secret Keeper. They didn't tell anyone who the Secret Keeper was for obvious reasons, but the general consensus was that Sirius Black was chosen because he was my dad's cousin and best friend."

"So my parents went into hiding. Barely a week after setting up the charm, Voldemort attacked. Thanks to my natural talent with mind magic, I'm gifted with a perfect memory, something which even experienced Occlumens struggle with, so I remember what happened that night. My dad was playing with me in the living room when Voldemort entered the house. The wards alerted my parents that it wasn't someone authorized. They knew they had been betrayed. So when Voldemort blasted the door open, my dad screamed to my mother to get me to safety. He then started duelling with Voldemort. But he was killed just a minute into the duel."

"My mother rushed to my nursery, but Voldemort soon found her. She had tried to escape, but it seems in Dumbledore's infinite wisdom, there were anti-portkey wards and anti-apparition wards around the house to prevent anyone entrance to the house; my take is that he didn't want us to escape. Voldemort asked her to step aside because it seems Snape had asked him to spare my mother; apparently, he wanted her for himself. My mother was furious when she heard that and refused to move so he killed her. He then pointed his wand at my forehead and fired the killing curse at me. The curse struck my forehead, but instead of killing me as it should, it rebounded and hit Voldemort instead" said Harry with tears streaming down his face. Daphne got up, sat next to him and hugged him tightly. Harry wrapped his arms around her and continued in a flat voice.

"My parents were not stupid. They were prepared for such an eventuality. They had gone to Gringotts, updated their will and ensured that all the Potter accounts were on lockdown until I claimed them. Their will contained clear set instructions on who should be my guardian in case I was orphaned, but they didn't account for Dumbledore's position as Chief Warlock. Their trust in the man was their undoing. But that was not all. My mother devised a way to save me in case I was attacked. That was the reason I survived, not because I was something special" he said.

Daphne was stunned. "Your mother found a way to block the killing curse?" she asked astonished.

"Something like that" said Harry nodding. He then took a deep breath "What I'm about to tell you now is something no other soul alive apart from me knows, and I'd like to keep it that way, at least for now. Are you agreeable to that?" he asked her.

Daphne blinked her eyes at the bizarre question "Of course Harry. I already told you that I won't reveal your secrets to anyone. Please, trust me. I won't betray you" she said pleadingly.

Harry looked into her eyes and nodded. "My mother was a parselmouth" he said finally. "She dabbed into sacrificial magic to save my life. Such magic is very ancient and has not been seen for more than a thousand years. You remember the famous lightning shaped scar I was supposed to have on my forehead? Well, that scar actually existed. In fact, my entire body is covered with runes carved by my mother in her own blood. The sacrificial ritual had to be performed in advance, with parseltongue spells. As for what needed to be sacrificed, it was her life. She had to willingly give up her life so that she could save mine. That is the secret behind how I survived."

Daphne had her mouth hanging in shock. Sacrificial magic? She had never even heard of such a thing! And if Lily Potter was a parselmouth, then –

"You're a parselmouth too, aren't you?" she asked.

Harry looked at her and nodded. "Then are you sure you aren't really the heir of Slytherin?" she asked hesitantly.

Harry burst out laughing, diffusing the situation. Daphne didn't know what was funny, so she started at her betrothed and waiting for him to continue. Harry grinned and said "I really doubt that is possible. As you know, my mother was a muggleborn. From what I've read the Gaunt family has always claimed that they were the descendants of Slytherin, so I don't know how I could be the heir. And trust me; the Potters are the very last family the Gaunts would intermarry with!"

When Harry mentioned the Gaunts, he was suddenly assaulted by a memory of an old, ragged looking man sitting on a chair, holding a dagger. But he was dragged out when he heard Daphne ask "Why is that? Are you saying that you really are, you know -"

" - the descendant of Godric Gryffindor? Yes" said Harry. "His only daughter married into the family. But this is also a Potter family secret, known only to the members. It's only because you're the confirmed future Lady Potter than I can even tell you about it. If you want, I can take you to Godric's grave sometime."

Daphne shook her head to clear her mind. "Wow" she whispered. To know that her future husband was actually the many times great grandson of one of the Founders of Hogwarts was astounding.

"Anyway, where was I?" said Harry. "Oh yes, after Voldemort was vanquished, Hagrid appeared on the scene on the orders of Albus Dumbledore to retrieve me. He took me outside and that's when Sirius came too. Sirius asked Hagrid to give me to him as he was my oath-sworn godfather, but Hagrid refused. I can't really blame the guy; Hagrid is, well, not very intelligent and would even lay down his life without a second thought for Dumbledore, so it was futile to argue with him. Sirius realised that as well, so he went to chase Pettigrew instead. Hagrid brought me to Private Drive where Dumbledore and McGonagall were waiting for him"

Harry's eye twitched when he remembered the memory. "I was asleep then, but with a lot of effort, I was able to listen to the memory of all those years ago. McGonagall noticed a scar on my forehead and asked Dumbledore if he could heal it; our amazing headmaster said that he wouldn't, as scars were meant to be seen! How wonderful! I had just survived the killing curse; the aura of the curse was probably all around me! Did he take me to a healer to get me checked out? No! Do you know that they had the gall to leave me on the fucking doorstep of the house like a milk bottle in the middle of the night, with only a letter for explaining to my aunt what had happened? A letter! He knew that Petunia hated magic, it was written in my parents' will. And yet he left me there, that too in the middle of the night! I could have died of pneumonia! What was worse was that he took my blood as well. I only found out about this much later. He took my blood, tied it to my aunt and the house and created an intent based ward. It was nothing spectacular, let me tell you. It was as useless as the Fidelius charmed house I had just come from. And he used the rest of the blood to power tracking and monitoring charms."

"But that's illegal!" shouted Daphne.

"I know, but who knew about that? Remus Lupin was long gone, Sirius was in Azkaban, Frank and Alice Longbottom were tortured into insanity, Amelia Bones was busy with the war effort and was later blocked at every turn, and people like Minerva McGonagall just didn't seem to care. It was perfect."

"But life at the Dursleys was anything but good, it was actually hell on earth. From the memories I later accessed, I found out that I had been crying for my parents and was having nightmares of my mother's death for several weeks after the incident. After the first night of me crying, the Dursleys couldn't take it anymore and they stuffed me in a boot cupboard under the stairs. The darkness and lack of ventilation only added to my suffering, but it's not like anyone cared. The rest of the wizarding world was celebrating while I was crying out of hunger and for my mother" said Harry bitterly.

"But that's when the trouble started. I started performing accidental magic again. Uncle Vernon didn't like that, he didn't like that at all. He then decided to beat the _freakishness_ out of me, a two year old boy. Unfortunately, the more I was in danger, the more magic I used to perform to save myself. So naturally, the beatings increased. They told me that my parents were drunken bums and that my useless father and my whore of a mother died in a car crash" said Harry angrily. Daphne tightened her grip around him.

"I still marvel at the fact that I didn't die in those attempts of _curing_ me of my magic. Really, muggles don't know anything about trying to raise a magical child! They think they're the children of the devil or whatever. Like so many of the muggleborns around the world, I too was tortured beyond belief. But after my sixth birthday, I had finally unravelled enough memories to find out that I was a wizard; I could do magic. So I had discreetly started practicing magic, and keeping it away from the Dursleys. So far, it was the same. But about a month before my seventh birthday, everything changed"

Harry took a sip of water and continued "Uncle Vernon was hosting dinner for his new client or boss or whatever; I didn't particularly care. I had been locked in my cupboard for more than a week without food and I was starving, not to mention angry. So I extended my senses, and wandlessly cast the bowel loosening hex at the three of them and that was enough to clear his guests. Vernon was furious, so he dragged me out and started beating the crap out of me. I used the banishing charm to get him away from me. But that only made him angrier, so he took the kitchen knife next to him and stabbed me in the stomach"

"The blood loss made me unconscious. It was going to be a slow death, but I was definitely going to die. But that's when he came to save me; my best friend; my brother; one of the most important people in my life who I deeply care about" he said smiling.

"Who?" asked Daphne.

Instead of answering, Harry got up and pulled Daphne up with him. "Come with me" he said. He took her hand and took her out to the castle's expansive grounds.

Daphne watched as Harry closed his eyes for a few seconds. Then suddenly, the clouds darkened, claps of thunder could be heard and flashes of lightning could be seen as well. "Look there" said Harry, pointing at a distance.

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and an enormous bird appeared out of thin air. Daphne screamed and latched onto Harry, but he didn't pull away. "He's not going to hurt you" he whispered in her ear.

The majestic bird flew over the grounds and finally landed gracefully in front of them. Daphne looked at the enormous bird in front of her with trepidation. She looked back at Harry who went forward and hugged the bird which frankly looked like an enormous eagle.

"Missed you, buddy" she heard him say to the bird. The creature nuzzled his beak on Harry's body as well.

"Daphne, meet Aquila, the one I said is like a brother to me. He's a thunderbird" said Harry.

"A thunderbird?" asked Daphne in awe.

" _Brother? Oh Harry, I'm touched"_ said an amused Aquila in Harry's mind.

 _"_ _I also told her that you're one of the most important people in my life"_ he replied.

 _"_ _Of course I am!"_ said Aquila sounding smug. " _Can you tell that to a bunch of females of my species? I'm looking for a mate, and any help is most appreciated"_

Harry burst out laughing. " _Who wants to mate with you? No female is demented enough to do that!"_

 _"_ _Oh well"_ said Aquila " _I guess I'll have to settle for Hedwig. Where's that cute little owl? I have a mate to find!"_

Harry gaped and spluttered "Aquila!" he said out loud. "You can't, I mean, Hedwig is, is, she is too small for you! It's not right!" he said his eyes wide.

 _"_ _You mess with me, I'll mess with you, little one"_ said the thunderbird.

"You both can communicate with each other?" asked a shocked Daphne. She was still trying to comprehend the fact that Harry had a thunderbird familiar.

" _Oh, it's so nice to finally meet Harry's mate. Greetings to you, little one"_

"Hey! I thought 'little one' was reserved for me!" said Harry indignantly.

 _"_ _Then what do I call her?"_ asked Aquila amused.

"I don't know! But that is reserved for me and only me!" said Harry as he pouted.

Daphne couldn't believe that Harry was actually acting his age. She had never seen him so carefree before. But she could also sense amusement that she was sure wasn't from her. She looked at the thunderbird. The creature also looked at her. They started deep into each other's eyes.

 _"_ _Harry, you've got a special one here. She is definitely different from the others of your species. She is definitely meant for you. I can feel a small bond with her as well. It's not like ours; I can't talk to her, but it's there. I have been feeling something different for the past year. This is the answer, your mate's bond with me"_ explained Aquila.

" _But how is that possible? You said I have a certain gift that no other witch or wizard has; that's why I can communicate with your species. Then how can Daphne sense you?"_ asked Harry confused.

" _That I'm not sure"_

Harry looked at Daphne and said "You seemed to have formed a minor bond with him. I'm not sure how, but it seemed to have started a year ago. What happened a year ago that caused this?"

Daphne shook her head. She extended her hand, and slowly moved towards the massive bird to touch him. She came closer and touched his neck and rubbed his feathers.

Aquila mentioned something to him and Harry grinned and nodded. He took out his wand and suddenly Daphne found herself being levitated by Harry. "Harry what are you doing?" she shouted.

"Aquila wants to take you on a ride around the grounds. I promise I'll be fun. Hold on tight" he said as he levitated her to the thunderbird's back.

"But - " she said, but was cut off as Aquila took off from the ground. She screamed in fright, but the bird didn't stop. After reaching a certain height, Aquila gently flew over the castle grounds. Daphne slowly opened her eyes and gasped. The view of the castle and grounds from above was breathtakingly beautiful. She heard an eagle's cry and turned left to spot a golden eagle flying parallel to them. The eagle looked at her and Daphne's eyes went wide as she saw the eagle's eyes were a very familiar shade of green. But before she could think about that, Aquila dived. Daphne screamed, but Aquila slowly and gracefully landed on the ground. Daphne got down, and tentatively gave the large thunderbird a hug as well. Aquila was pleased.

She turned around to spot the golden eagle land in front of her as well, and to her shock, the eagle changed into Harry who was grinned at her. "How was it?" he asked her.

"You're an animagus?" she asked shocked at this revelation. It looked like Harry wasn't kidding when he said his secrets were many and important.

"Yup. But I'll tell you about that later. Aquila has to go look for a 'mate'. We don't want to stand in his way. As it is he won't have much luck anyway" he told her.

" _Thanks for the vote of confidence, Harry"_ said Aquila sarcastically.

Harry laughed and hugged him again. " _If you do find a mate, you better introduce me to her. I want to meet any potential sister-in-law"_ he told the bird fondly.

" _Will do. And remember what I said little one. The danger is still present. If you ever find yourself in danger, call me at once."_

 _"_ _I will"_ said Harry, reassuring his friend.

Aquila nodded to Daphne and took off into the sky. After some distance, there was a flash of lightning, and the large thunderbird was gone.

After a minute of silence, Daphne said "That was the most incredible experience of my life."

Harry pulled her into a hug and whispered "I can think of an experience which can rival that."

Daphne smiled. It looked like meeting his familiar had put Harry in a very good mood. "And what is that Lord Potter?" she asked coyly.

"This" replied Harry as he leaned down and kissed her. They kissed for a few seconds and broke apart. They stood there silent for several minutes until finally, Daphne asked, "Are there any more secrets you have that you want to share?"

"Hmm, only two more important ones I think" he said.

Daphne looked at him and her eyes widened when she saw Harry change his hair colour to deep red and his eyes to hazel. He then morphed his face to look like Sirius Black.

"You're a metamorphmagus?" she asked aghast. How talented was he?

"A partial one" replied Harry. "I can only change the features of my face and hair while my cousin Nymphadora Tonks can change almost every part of her body"

"Still, that's an amazing trait to have. You can go to public places disguised so that no one will recognise you, and considering who you are that's a major advantage. You wouldn't have to use glamour charms" said Daphne.

"Yeah, it is. As for the last secret I have, well, as I said, after Vernon stabbed me, Aquila rescued me and brought me here to Potter Castle. My elves immediately used their brand of magic to heal me. But while doing that, it seems there was something in my scar, some dark magic relating to Voldemort. I'm not really sure what it was because the elves said something in their native tongue and I couldn't understand it. Suffice it say, after that abomination was destroyed, I somehow gained Voldemort's memories which got transferred into my subconscious mind."

"You have all of his memories? You can recall very part of his life?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh no" replied Harry. "I didn't gain any active memories, but passive ones. Whenever I see or hear something of Voldemort I get flashes of memories. It also helps me in spell work, because along with my own talent and power, his memories give me a slight edge because I know where to look for what, not to mention subconscious reflexes in some cases, thought the latter is very rare. I can perform spells just after learning them once, because subconsciously I've already learnt them, or at least Voldemort has" he explained.

Daphne snorted and said "Better make sure Granger never finds out. She'll surely call you out for cheating"

Harry shook his head. "I don't care what she thinks anyway. But no one should ever find out about this, least of all, Albus Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic. Can you imagine if someone gets word that I possess Voldemort's memories?"

Daphne's face went white as a sheet. "They would lock you up. They would call you a dark lord and use legilimency on you until you are nothing more than a gibbering mess just to find out his secrets. You're right" she said scared.

Harry took her hand in his and said "Don't worry Daphne. I won't let that happen"

Daphne mutely nodded. She suddenly looked up and asked "How did you become an animagus anyway? Human Transfiguration is highly advanced, and I've heard that the process takes years!"

"Well, I did it using a different method, something I'm sure was how witches and wizards in the ancient times became animagi. I connected with my inner animal" he replied.

"Inner animal?" asked Daphne incredulously. "What in Merlin's name is that?"

"No witch or wizard can have more than one animal form" explained Harry. "And they cannot transform into a magical animal either. It's a fundamental law of magic, which cannot be broken. That being said, I used Occlumency to connect to my magical core. That, in turn, showed me an animal which my soul represents; in my case, a golden eagle. This method is safer than the human transfiguration method, not to mention it gives you enhanced senses. My eyesight is more acute than any witch or wizard, just like werewolves have an enhanced sense of smell. I can teach you if you'd like" he said smiling at her.

"Yes, please. I would love to be an animagus!" said Daphne grinning.

"Alright then. But remember that in this method, it's not about talent. It's about how well you can connect with your inner animal and how skilled you are at Occlumency. But even after finding your inner animal, it might take some time, as you and the animal have to merge together. I took me more than a year to transform, but it's definitely worth it."

They sat there for a few minutes, looking at the sunset when Daphne asked "Harry, do you think Dumbledore suspects you being a parselmouth? Is that why he thinks he can pin the blame on you for the chamber attacks?"

Harry started into the distance for a minute before replying "I'm not sure. My mother never told anyone that she was a parselmouth, not even my dad. I only found out after reading her journal, and trust me, that book was guarded with ridiculous wards. Only a parselmouth could open it. But you're right; Dumbledore may suspect it because of whatever was there in my scar. He did search for that scar on my forehead a lot whenever we have met. I wonder what he was looking for" he said, his voice trailing away.

"If he manages to leak his suspicions to the Hogwarts rumour mill, then we're in trouble" said Daphne.

Harry took a deep breath. "That is probably what is going to happen. We can't do anything about it because we don't know when he's going to strike. And I can't even deny it, that's his advantage. He spreads the rumour, and if I don't deny it, he finds out that I really am a parselmouth and the school will turn against me again. Win-win"

Daphne took his hand and said "Whatever happens, we'll face it together"

After that, Harry escorted Daphne back to Greengrass Manor. When he went to bed that night, he couldn't help but feel lighter than usual, now knowing that he had come clean with Daphne and that she would always be by his side. He went to sleep with a small smile on his face.

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 21**

 **Harry simply stared at the wall opposite for more than a minute. He then smiled. "For all your faults Albus, you really are brilliant. The Slytherin in me just can't help but admire the cunning and subtlety of your approach. How you ended up in Gryffindor, I'll never know" he said.**

 **AN** : I know that in Chapter 5, I've mentioned that the elves told Harry about the soul piece that was in his scar. I hope I've clarified about that here.

I've never accepted Dumbledore's explanation of Lily's love saving Harry's life. That's why I came up with this theory. Let me know what you feel about it.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Several days later, Harry and Daphne found themselves back at Hogwarts for the second term of school. The attacks on students thankfully seemed to have stopped after Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been petrified. Things were moving steadily. Harry and Daphne spent the majority of their time studying in the Room of Requirement as usual. Harry was really curious to know how the room worked. He first thought it was highly advanced illusionary magic, but then everything seemed so real, he really couldn't understand how the room came to be. He spent several hours duelling against what the room could throw at him as well. The duelling dummies provided by the room weren't anything like the ones he had back home; these were insanely deadly, using a wide range of spells. The castle had observed many of the duelling characteristics of various people over the centuries and used them against Harry.

Every duellist had a different technique. Wizards and Witches like Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and James Potter used Battle Transfiguration for their duels; others like Filius Flitwick, Lily Potter and Alastor Moody used a wide range of Charms, curses and jinxes while others like Voldemort and Bellatrix Lesterange used their wide arsenal of dark magic spells. Harry had decided that he didn't like being dependent on any one area alone; that provided a weakness for the opponent to exploit; Battle Transfiguration, for example, was difficult to practice while in an enclosed space. So he combined everything to achieve his goals. He used charms on his transfigured objects while attacking the frustrated opponent with deadly curses and jinxes. He didn't really like many of the dark spells he had found; they needed a lot of negative emotion to power them and he wasn't keen on becoming another Voldemort. But he had taken to practicing the Fiendfyre curse, in small doses of course.

As February rolled in, people were getting much happier because of the lack of attacks. Harry was happy for that, but the cynical part of him thought that something drastic was going to happen soon. He was still working on Voldemort's memories, but he didn't have much luck. Instead, he gained more knowledge about spells and duelling, and while he was happy for that, it didn't help his current predicament.

In the first week of February, Harry was just returning from Quidditch practice when he heard a distant echo of the voice again; the same cold, deadly voice. " _Kill . . . Rip . . . so hungry . . . Kill this time . . ."_

Harry's eyes went wide. He immediately put his ear to the wall and began following the voice. He ran as the voice dimmed; this was probably the only chance he was ever going to get of finding out what the monster in the chamber really was. He quickly turned a corner and gasped when he saw Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger both petrified. He decided that this was too easy a target for Dumbledore to frame him. Just as he was about to leave, Peeves decided to enter the scene.

"What are up to Potty? Po - " The poltergeist stopped in mid-sentence and before Harry could do anything, the ghost shouted at the top of his voice "MURDER! MURDER IN THE HALLWAYS! ATTACK! ATAAAACKKK! NO ONE IS SAFE IN THE CASTLE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Everything happened so fast that Harry didn't have time to react. Doors opened immediately and people rushed out and spotted Harry standing next to the petrified bodies of Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater.

"Aha! Caught in the act! I knew you were the heir of Slytherin! It looks like those rumours of you bring a parselmouth are true after all!" shouted Ron Weasley, pointing his finger at Harry.

"Parselmouth?" whispered others as they all stared at Harry with terrified looks on their faces.

Professor McGonagall soon came over to them "What's going on here?" she shouted. "What - " She stopped cold as she looked at the petrified students. Her eyes landed on Harry and he could see that she had a cold look on her face. "Potter, come with me" she said coldly.

Harry didn't bother arguing; he knew it was futile. People started whispering as he passed by. He spotted Daphne on his way and she had an unreadable look on her face. Harry went over, gave her hand a light squeeze and followed McGonagall. Just as he had predicted, they stood in front of the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office.

"Lemon Drop" said McGonagall to the gargoyle. "Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you" she said to Harry, giving him another cold look and left.

Harry shook his head and muttered 'sheep' and climbed the stairs. He knocked on the door and entered. The office was just as he had remembered. But unlike last time, Fawkes seemed to be nearing his burning day. "Hello Fawkes. Close to your burning day, huh?" he asked the sickly looking phoenix. The bird gave a horrible cry and whimper, and after a few seconds, caught fire. Harry calmly stepped back as he watched the bird slowly rise from the ashes. He smiled, but then the Sorting Hat caught his attention. He took it from the shelf and put it on.

"Hello, Mr Hat" said Harry in his mind.

"Greetings Lord Potter, how may I help you?" asked the hat.

"I was wondering if you can tell me what creature exists in the Chamber of Secrets. After all, you've been here since the school's inception. You're bound to know Salazar's secrets. So can you tell me?"

The hat chucked. "I'm afraid not. After Godric enchanted me, Salazar put up some obscure wards in place so that I don't reveal any secrets. It worked so well that Salazar himself couldn't bring them down without destroying me. I'm sorry."

"Will that answer change in case I say I'm the legitimate heir of Godric Gryffindor?" asked Harry hopefully.

The hat laughed again and said "Generations of Potters before you have tried the same thing, but it won't work. Being the Founder's heir will not change anything here I'm afraid. Gaining the lordship, that's a different matter."

Harry sighed. "Thanks for the insight Hat" he said and put it back on the shelf.

"Harry?" asked a voice. Harry looked up to find Dumbledore climbing down from the level above him. "Ah, it looks like Fawkes has gone through with his burning. It's such a shame to see him on this day, he's quite moody" said Dumbledore.

"I would be too if I were so sick that I couldn't even speak or walk" replied Harry.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Very true, my boy; but let's get to the matter at hand. I just received word that you were found next to the petrified bodies of Miss Clearwater and Miss Granger. I've also got reports that you're a parselmouth. Harry, I deeply care about you. I know that living with your relatives did not show muggles in a favourable light, but this is not the way to go about it, my boy. I urge you to reconsider your actions Harry, for it could have far lasting consequences. Admit it, and I'll help you wrap this mess up. I'll always be with you Harry, every step of the way" said Dumbledore in his grandfatherly voice.

Harry simply stared at the wall opposite for more than a minute. He then smiled. "For all your faults Albus, you really are brilliant. The Slytherin in me just can't help but admire the cunning and subtlety of your approach. How you ended up in Gryffindor, I'll never know" he said.

Dumbledore frowned and said "This is serious, Harry. I - "

"You know something?" asked Harry, interrupting Dumbledore. He flicked his wand to his hand and conjured a perfect chess board on Dumbledore's table. Albus was startled at the advanced magic Harry performed, but chose to remain silent, wanting to hear him out.

"Chess really is a beautiful game" said Harry, looking at the board. "There are two factions – black and white, but in our case, it's the dark and the light. The entire game is based on the power struggle between two kings – the leader of the light and the leader of the dark" he said, pointing at the king pieces. "The rest of the game is essentially a war. Sometimes you have to get rid of a pawn to save your knight. It's more efficient, don't you agree?" said Harry, looking at Dumbledore. The old man was concentrating on the board with an unreadable look on his face.

"But in some cases, the pawn attracts very high attention from its enemies. Because it's a war and is a lowly and defenceless baby, ahm, sorry, pawn, he is sacrificed by the leader of the light so as to save the rest of his pieces. As I said, very efficient; happens in every game of chess."

"But it so happened, that by attacking the pawn, the Dark king was caught in a bind. He got checked by the pawn. The Light king did his best to ensure that his pawn remained in his control; after all, he could be useful to him later. But the pawn decided to revolt. And kings don't like uncontrollable pawns. So when the Rook of the Dark king attacked several other pawns of the white kind, the White king blamed this particular pawn so that all the others would target him as well, so that the pawn would come to the Light king for help."

"It is always good to anticipate the opponent's next move in a game of chess. You don't bother much about the workings of your side; after all, they're all the king's pawns, only their ranks differ (except the Queen of course)"

Harry got up from his chair and put his hands on either side of the desk. He leaned down on the board and said "But what if the pawn wasn't really a pawn? What if the pawn was a king in disguise? After all, the two kings were busy fighting each other, who would suspect a lowly pawn to be another king?" Harry then took the pawn, and used it to push the white and black kings out of the board and said "The pawn used that to his advantage and threw both the light and dark kings out of the board and reclaimed their spot, as the true leader, unifying both light and dark for the first time. The people called him their saviour and he was loved by his people. Be careful Dumbledore, you might find your pawn quickly pushing you away from the board" said Harry and walked out of the room.

"Outstanding; amazing; brilliant; spectacular" said Dumbledore to himself. "What a mind you have Harry, my boy. You displayed a lot more subtlety and cunning that Tom never showed in his later years. Oh Tom, why did you have to put a horcrux in his head? Harry could have been so useful" said Dumbledore and sighed.

"Oh my naive Harry, do you think you can push me out of the board? ME? Not going to happen". Dumbledore took the black rook and said "You think you'll be the king right? But what if the Dark king's rook took away your beloved Queen before that? Would you still be able to play on the board?" he asked to the empty room as he tipped the white Queen out of the board.

Dumbledore never noticed that Harry had arranged the pieces on the board so that both the Light and Dark Kings were struck with a checkmate by their own people.

The Sorting Hat chuckled to himself "Oh Salazar, if only you were here" the hat mused to itself. "You would have had an orgasm just watching this spectacle. Godric, I have watched generations of Potters come and go, but this is the one I have chosen. Hadrian Potter is the one."

The next several weeks were pure torture for Harry, even though he would never say it out loud. The students of Hogwarts had turned very hostile towards him. Some used to glare at him when he walked down the halls, while others gave him terrified looks. Nobody sat with him at meals, but he was still forced to sit at the very end of the Ravenclaw table while he was pranked and cursed repeatedly, though none of them worked on him. He had heard rumours that they wanted to throw him out of the Quidditch team as well, but that hadn't happened yet. He had also received some hate mail, but it wasn't anything bad. Professors McGonagall and Sprout had turned cold towards him in class and acted as though he was invisible. They deducted points at the slightest of reasons, which in turn made the Ravenclaws blame him for it. Professors Flitwick and Slughorn tried to help Harry out, but they were quickly silenced by the others. Neville, Hannah, Susan and Tracy tried talking to Harry but were also threatened by their housemates. Harry was quite frankly vexed.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"The reason is because of this" said Amelia Bones, holding a parchment and showing it through the mirror.

"What is it?" asked Harry, his eyes narrowed.

"It's a direct order from the Minister of Magic, to prevent the DMLE from interfering in the attacks of the students at Hogwarts. It claims that the DMLE could contaminate the evidence at the crime scene, and that makes no sense, considering we're the highest investigative authority in the country! Fudge says that his own office would deal with the matter" she spat angrily.

"How does the Minister have so much power as to stop a DMLE investigation like that?" asked Harry angrily.

"He doesn't" replied Amelia. "But he can do so if he gets approval from some of the Heads of Departments in the Ministry as well as approval of some members of the Wizengamot. Fudge only does what he is told; and in this case, it's Lucuis Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore. You say that Malfoy is behind the attacks, so he has done his best in making sure that I stay the hell away from the investigation, and Dumbledore is still angry that I interfered in what he says to be 'Hogwarts business' during the Lockhart incident. There is too much red tape, and my hands are tied."

Harry sighed in frustration when Amelia spoke up again. "You said that you heard a voice, right?"

"Yes" said Harry. "It's like an echo, I can only make out the words, but I can't exactly tell where the voice is coming from. I'm pretty sure it can speak, and the creatures that can speak are Acromantulas, Sphinxes, Centaurs and Manticores. But none of them cause petrification and how is it possible for any such creature to attack its victims and not be seen?" he asked irritated that he had not figured it out.

"Any luck finding out when the Chamber was last opened?" he asked.

"None" said Amelia, looking grim. "There are no such records in the Hall of records or in the DMLE. Either the incident never came to the purview of the DMLE or someone wiped them clean. I'm having my people ensure that no such evidence ever is removed from the Ministry. I'm sorry Harry."

"It's alright, Aunt Amy, you did your best" said Harry.

"Do you want to file a complaint against all that hate mail you've received? It's quite easy for you to do that as you're the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter" asked Amelia.

Harry shook his head and answered "To what end? I could easily do it, but the public would only target me more. Using my power is not the issue, but the repercussions of my actions could result in a major backlash, something I'm sure my opponents would use to their advantage."

"Very well" said Amelia. "I see your point. But do let me know in case you change your mind, Harry. Good night and sweet dreams." She then deactivated the mirror, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The second years were given something new to think about in April. The time had come for them to choose their subjects for their third year. Harry and Daphne sat in the Room of Requirement and discussed it.

"I'm definitely taking Ancient Runes and Arithmancy" said Daphne.

"Me too, but do we want to take Care of Magical Creatures? That's the only option available. Taking that will be three subjects, the maximum electives we're allowed to take. The other options are Divination and Muggle Studies, and I'm definitely not interested in both" said Harry.

Daphne chewed on her lip and said "Let's take Care of Magical Creatures. It could be fun. If we want we can always sit the exam for muggle studies later on if we're interested."

Harry nodded and filled up the form for both him and Daphne. Suddenly, Toby popped in and said "Master Hadrian, you need to see the paper" he said frantically, his usual calm demeanour not present.

Harry frowned when he saw the elf fidget. "Hey buddy, are you okay? You seem to be - "

But he was interrupted when he heard Daphne gasp. Harry looked at the Daily Prophet and his eyes widened a bit.

 _BOY WHO LIVED RUMOURED TO BE A PARSELMOUTH_

 _By Rita Skeeter_

 _This reporter has recently gained information that Hadrian James Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the boy who supposedly defeated the Dark Lord might possibly be a parselmouth. These have been consistent with the reports of attacks at Hogwarts involving the Heir of Slytherin and the fabled Chamber of Secrets._

 _Is Harry Potter secretly a dark lord? Is that why You Know Who attacked him in the first place? This reporter will work tirelessly to find out more information for you, my readers._

"I should have seen this coming" whispered Harry. "I didn't count on the information appearing on the front page of the Daily Prophet! Dammit! I've been too distracted!"

"Harry, what do we do?" asked Daphne, concerned.

"I don't know" said Harry. "I really should have listened to their advice earlier. Toby, assemble a bunch of the stealthiest elves you can find. Track down Rita Skeeter. She has a knack for finding out information that is kept secret, doesn't she? If there is anything out of the ordinary when it comes to her, tell me. Okay?"

"Yes, Master Hadrian. At once" said Toby and popped out.

Harry sighed. This was going to turn out badly. And he was right.

The next morning, hate mail and howlers started to arrive for Harry. Many of them quite bad, calling him evil, telling him to kill himself and not harm innocents and others which were booby traps, some of which were quite dangerous. So from the second day onwards, Harry had decided to destroy them as soon as they arrived. He levitated the letters and howlers and burnt them with the _Incendio_ charm. McGonagall took points from him, but he didn't care.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next week, Harry was on his way to the Quidditch pitch for a match against Gryffindor when he heard the monster's voice again. " _Yes . . . Kill this time . . . Must taste blood . . . Come to me"_

Harry's heart started beating faster. He was in the Quidditch locker rooms, barely registering the cold looks sent his way as he realised that someone else might be attacked soon but he couldn't do anything since there was a match he had to play. He put on his Quidditch robes, took his broomstick and went out to the pitch when he saw McGonagall coming towards them. She pointed her wand to her throat and said " _Sonorous._ This match has been cancelled. All students are to make their way to their common rooms immediately. Your Heads of House will give you further instructions. Move as quickly as you can!" she shouted.

She then turned to Harry and said, "Potter, I think you better come with me."

Some of the students were grumbling about the match being cancelled, others looked worried. Someone shouted from the crowd "I bet Potter has murdered someone! Don't let him go!"

"Quiet!" barked McGonagall. "Everyone go to your common rooms NOW!"

Harry kept his face expressionless as he followed McGonagall. He idly wondered if they had brought Aurors to arrest him. That plan would work well for Dumbledore. He could send Harry to Azkaban and then rescue him saying that he had always believed that he was innocent. Well, there was no way in hell was he going to let that happen; he was Lord Potter, dammit! So he braced himself for the legal battle that was soon to follow.

But to his surprise, McGonagall led him to the Hospital Wing. He followed her, but thanks to his incredibly sharp eyesight, he spotted her. He gasped and stopped in mid-step at the entrance of the Hospital wing. No. This was not possible. He had to be dreaming. There was no way this could be true.

McGonagall turned back to look at Harry who was white as a sheet. He slowly made his way to the bed that was on the other side of the Hospital wing. He stood next to her, his eyes wide and hands shaking out of shock. Daphne Greengrass lay deathly still on the bed petrified, her eyes open, and a look of shock on her beautiful face. One hand was outstretched and the other was in a fist.

Harry couldn't move. He was stuck to the spot, still looking at the girl who was the most important in his life. McGonagall came over and lifted a mirror from the desk next to Daphne. "She was found near the library with this. Do you have any idea what this means?" she asked.

Harry was still shaking from head to toe. He touched her face, but she was so cold. "Daphne" he croaked, and that's when the tears started. Not caring who might be watching him, Harry collapsed on the floor holding Daphne's hand and started crying. The weather outside transformed from a sunny day to stormy within minutes. He sobbed his heart out for the girl he _loved_. _I'm in love with her. And it's because of me that she was targeted._

"Potter, you have to return to your Common Room" said McGonagall, but Harry didn't hear her. He kept staring at Daphne's still form. The storm outside got worse, lightning flashed several times, as well as loud claps of thunder could be heard. McGonagall thought she heard an eagle's shriek of agony, but thought she later imagined it. "Potter, you much leave" she said in her stern voice. His grief was understandable, but she had a lot of work to do. She touched his shoulder, only for her hand to be slapped away.

"Potter!" she shouted. But Harry didn't care. The grief had transformed into lust, lust for blood. He kissed Daphne on the forehead and said "Don't worry Daphne, I'll find whoever is behind this. And when I get my hands on them, they'll wish they had never messed with Hadrian Potter. They'll soon be begging for death" he said. McGonagall stepped back when she heard this. She was terrified when she saw Harry's hair turn white; his skin glowed brightly and bolts of lightning surrounded his body. She knew that she had jumped to conclusions about the boy, but this was too much.

"Potter you have to - " she began but was cut off by Harry leaving the Hospital Wing, taking long strides as he did so. She yelled at him and tried to follow him, but she caught him casting a disillusionment charm upon himself and she lost track of him. She performed the Human presence revealing spell, but was too late. In her shock of seeing him perform a seventh-year charm non-verbally, she had stalled in performing the spell. She shook her head. She would have to inform Albus about this. But first she had to get to Gryffindor Tower.

The rest of the castle was in shock. The fact that Daphne Greengrass had been attacked and petrified had been quite a blow to everyone who thought Harry Potter was behind the attacks. Everyone knew how much Harry cared about Daphne, seeing how they were always together. So this incident completely debunked their theory of Harry being the Heir of Slytherin. And now, many of them were terrified because a pureblood, not to mention the Heiress of a Most Ancient and Noble House was attacked. If the Heir of Slytherin could target a Slytherin student from one of the oldest families in the country, how safe were the rest?

Many of them in Ravenclaw Tower were waiting for Harry after Professor Flitwick made his announcement, but he never came back. No one knew that Harry was outside, flying in the storm with Aquila in order to calm down. The storm raged on for the rest of the night, lamenting along with their distressed Lord.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Barnabus Cuffe stretched his legs as he finished his work for the day. It was time to head home when he found that he couldn't move. He watched as the door snapped shut with a click. He opened his mouth to speak but found that he was magically gagged. What was happening? Just then, he felt someone move close to him. Cuffe was bound tightly to his chair so there was nothing he could do.

"Barnabus Cuffe" said a strange voice. "The Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Prophet, I've waited a long time to talk to you."

Cuffe tried to move, but he couldn't. "You have information I want, Cuffe. The more you cooperate, I sooner I will leave" said the voice.

Suddenly, he found that he could talk. "Help!" he shouted. The voice laughed and said "This place is heavily warded, so don't try it. I have one question for you. Who are the shareholders of the Daily Prophet?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" asked Cuffe shakily. Who was this guy? He had taken precautions against attacks. How did he come in without anyone noticing anything?

"If you don't, I'll take it from you" replied the voice. "And trust me; I can make Legilimency attacks very painful indeed."

Cuffe sneered. "As if you can - " He stopped talking as he screamed. The attacker tore through his shields.

"Those were quite flimsy. It didn't even take me more than three seconds. So, are you willing to tell me or should I leave a gibbering mess of a man behind?" asked the voice, a touch amused.

"I'll tell you" said Cuffe in a shaky voice.

"Good boy" said the voice, as if he was talking to his dog. "But be warned. I'll know if you're lying."

Cuffe told the voice of the shareholders of Magical Britain's largest publishing company. The voice laughed and said "This is simpler than I thought. Just two more stops after this. Sign this contract." Cuffe saw a parchment appear on his desk.

"What is it?" he asked, terrified.

"It is a contract of you selling all the shares you own in the Daily Prophet to the Magical Daily Press, a company headquartered at No.12, Diagon Ally, London" said the voice.

"What? That's the address of the headquarters of the Daily Prophet!" said Cuffe. He was now close to wetting himself.

"Oh you're absolutely right" said the voice. "The Daily Prophet is going to be bought by a bigger publishing company, where the truth is reported. I have big plans for the magical world, but I can't reach out to the people this soon. The quill is indeed mightier than the sword, isn't it? Pretty soon, the Daily Prophet will die, and the British Magical Daily will be born. Well, British for now, at least. We need papers for the rest of the world as well, don't we?" said the voice and laughed.

"You can't make me do this! The contract won't be valid if I've signed it by force! It will be immediately scrapped" Cuffe shouted.

"But I can" purred the voice. "I'm not so stupid to attempt the Imperius Curse. That's for amateurs; those who can't comprehend the subtlety that is required to truly use the mind arts. Unfortunately for you, I am a natural at it."

" _Legilimens"_

 _"_ _Compulso"_

 _"_ _Confundo"_

 _"_ _Obliviate"_

Barnabus Cuffe shook his head to clear the cobwebs in his mind. He was probably too stressed. He was disgusted with how things were running at the Daily Prophet. Thank Merlin the new owner said he would turn things around. He wondered when it would be announced about the change in management. Oh well, time to go home.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 22**

 **"** **No, Harry — I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"**

 **Harry couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.**

 **AN** : This is the final scene where Harry is the target; from now on, it's him hitting back at his enemies, taking them out one by one.

Harry taking over the Daily Prophet is cliche, but I hope you liked the method I used to implement it. I believe that Mind Magic cannot change who you are as a person, that is a person's personality; but their thoughts can be modified so that it suits your purposes. I'm not sure how magical contracts work, but I guess there is some case of appeal if the person has been coerced into signing it.

Basilisk/Thunderbird fight – coming soon!

Please review and Happy New Year to you all!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It was now two weeks after the last attack, and things were much different at Hogwarts than before. Teaches were escorting the students everywhere and there was a glum mood throughout the castle. Purebloods, halfbloods and muggleborns alike were going in groups so that they might be safer that way. But the biggest change was one Hadrian Potter, second year Ravenclaw.

Harry hadn't spoken to a single soul after the incident. Rumour had it that Dumbledore had summoned him to his office, but Harry had just sat there quietly for an hour not speaking a word until Dumbledore finally dismissed him. People had tried apologising to him, but he just walked away. Another rumour that was running rampant around the school was that Harry was now sleeping in the Hospital Wing every night. Madam Pomfrey had first told him to leave but had finally given up when she realised that he wasn't going to listen to her. What was even worse was the Albus Dumbledore was suspended while Hagrid was arrested. If he wasn't present to look after them, then who would protect the students?

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry waved his wand as he conjured a bunch of flowers for everyone in the Hospital Wing, including Granger. While she was annoying, he would never wish anything bad to her; she was just an immature little girl. He sat next to Daphne and rubbed her hand and said "I miss you so much, Daphne. Your parents and sister had been here to see you several days back. They were inconsolable. I expected them to blame me, but they didn't. You really have an amazing family."

"I love you Daphne" he whispered, fresh tears running down his face. "I thought I didn't know what love was, seeing as I wasn't exposed to it, but I know in my heart that I love you very much. I need you. I've known you for less than two years, but I already know that I can't live my life without you. What is the point of having so much wealth and power if I don't have you to share my happiness? I'd give it all away just so that I can spend every moment of my life with you. I love you so much" he said, and gently kissed her on the lips. He frowned when he felt something crumbled in Daphne's hand. It felt like paper, so he slowly extracted the piece of paper out. Looking around and finding no one, he spread it out and read.

 _Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it._

Harry wondered why Daphne had this piece of paper. He had thought about the Basilisk and had ruled it out. How could it move –

But his thought was cut off when he recognised Daphne's handwriting written on the paper _Pipes. Chamber last opened in 1942-43, heard teachers mention it. Look at the windows; spiders acting strange. Hagrid's roosters were killed in October. Voice heard was in parseltongue, not English; ergo the basilisk._

Pipes? There was plumbing at Hogwarts? Unlike muggles, witches and wizards did not need to use plumbing as there were inbuilt runes and charms to take care of waste. But that answered his question of how the creature had been moving around the school! The voice he had been hearing was from inside the walls! That's why he could hear the voice in the first place; it wasn't English, it was parseltongue. The monster was actually a Basilisk, and he could understand it because he was a parselmouth! And finally, she had also found information about the last time the Chamber was opened. They had searched high and low, but they had just now found even a hint of when the attacks had last taken place.

But if the Basilisk's stare kills, then back to his original question. Why didn't anyone die? Harry stared out of the window as he realised that no one had died because no one had actually seen it directly. Mrs Norris had seen the reflection; Colin Creevey had seen it though his camera; Justin Finch-Fletchley had seen it through Nearly Headless Nick; Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger were found facing the windows, so they too had seen the reflection and Daphne had figured it out and had a mirror just to be on the safe side.

Harry went over to the window and saw it. Small spiders were crawling through the small gaps in the windows and walls, trying to flee as fast as they could. Spiders flee before it! It all made sense!

He immediately took off to the other side of the castle. He went over to the Room of Requirement. "Toby" he called.

"Yes Master Hadrian?" said the elf, popping next to him.

"Toby we have a whole bunch of old newspapers at the castle, don't we?" he asked the elf hurriedly.

"Of course Master. It was kept in case we need to reference it later on" replied the elf.

"Bless whoever came up with the idea. Toby, I want you to bring me all the newspapers from September 1942 to June 1943. It's urgent" he said.

Toby nodded and immediately popped away. The elf came back a few minutes later with a huge pile of newspapers. "Thanks a lot, buddy" said Harry as he started flipping through them.

Four hours later, he finally found an article. It mentioned something about attacks at Hogwarts and how a student was killed. He looked for a name but wasn't mentioned. He searched more, and a few more papers later, he struck gold. Tom Riddle was given an award for special services to the school for catching the one behind the attacks. The girl killed was Myrtle Warren. He was suddenly assaulted by a memory –

 _He was standing in front of a corpse in front of a bathroom as the sink, which had a large hole, slowly slid back into place. Well, finally a mudblood was killed. But his work was not done; he would have to kill all the muggleborns to complete Salazar Slytherin's noble work._

 _He came out of the bathroom and looked at it. He could hear footsteps. He panicked slightly, but immediately disillusioned himself. Okay, he was on the first floor, if he hurried, he could reach the dungeons soon. Then he would have an alibi._

Harry gasped as he came out of the memory. The Chamber entrance was located in the girl's bathroom on the first floor! He had finally found it! But who was Tom Riddle? That name was so ridiculously familiar. Was he Voldemort's friend?

Harry returned to the Great Hall in a daze. What should he do now? Should he tell the staff about the Basilisk? But then again, they may choose not to believe him. After all, he had considered the beast himself many months back and had dismissed it; why would they believe him now?

He was having dinner when McGonagall spoke up "I have good news."

"Dumbledore's coming back!"

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!"

"Quidditch matches are back on!"

Harry rolled his eyes. As if Quidditch was important at a time like this! Really, these people had no sense of what was actually important.

"Professor Sprout has informed me that the mandrakes are ready for cutting at last" said McGonagall. So we can finally revive those who have been petrified."

Harry suddenly looked up at her. Daphne was going to be cured? This was the best news he had heard in a long time. He then turned to observe the others in the hall. Draco Malfoy was understandably angry at this revelation (how the boy was sorted into Slytherin, he didn't know; the boy had no sense of subtlety what so ever). The others were cheering. His eyes narrowed when he looked at the pale form of Ginny Weasley. He hadn't run into the girl the entire year, having avoided her like the plague. But there was something odd about her; he couldn't put his finger on it, but Harry could sense foreign magic around her that screamed evil. What was it?

He was on his way to the Room and still debating on whether telling the staff was a good idea or not when he heard McGonagall's voice echoing through the corridors.

"All students return to your their house common rooms at once! Teachers report to the staffroom immediately."

Harry frowned. Something must have happened. He cast a disillusionment charm over himself, silenced his feet and went over to the staffroom. He stood outside and cast an eavesdropping charm and listened.

"It's happened. A student has been taken right into the chamber itself. The heir has left another message: _Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever._ This is going to be the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said . . ." said McGonagall.

"Who is it?" asked Madam Hooch.

"Ginny Weasley" replied McGonagall.

Harry sucked in a breath. He was right. Somehow Ginny Weasley was involved in the opening of the chamber. He had to do something, now! He immediately walked rapidly to the first-floor bathroom. He opened the door and went inside. There was a ghost singing by itself.

"What do you want? This is a girl's bathroom" she said.

"Are you the ghost of Myrtle Warren?" asked Harry, going by a hunch.

"Yes. What do you want?" she asked again.

"I was wondering if you could tell me how you died" he asked slowly.

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then —" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died."

"How?" said Harry.

"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes by that sink. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away. . . ."

Harry nodded and looked at the sink she had indicated. He touched it and found an engraving of a snake on it. He took a deep breath to stop his body from shaking. That's when it started raining again, along with the usual lightning and thunder. He smiled slightly when he realised that it was Aquila warning him about danger. He sent the thunderbird a message telepathically telling him to be ready when he called. He then stood back and hissed " _Open"_

Harry watched in fascination as the sinks disjoined to form a large pipe that could easily fit five people. "Myrtle, could you do me a favour? If the staff starts searching for me, tell them I've gone inside the Chamber of Secrets to put an end to this once and for all. If I don't come back within the next five to six hours, then tell them I'm probably dead. And in case you didn't know, my name is Hadrian Potter" he told the ghost.

"Okay" replied the girl, giggling. "If you die, I don't mind you sharing my toilet. After all, you're a very cute boy."

Harry smiled sadly. "Thanks for the compliment. But there is only one girl for me, and that always will be Daphne."

Harry took a deep breath, lit his wand with a _Lumos_ charm and jumped into the pipe. It was like rushing down a dark, slimy slide. Just as he was about to near the end, he pointed his wand at himself and said mentally " _Aristo momentum"_ He slowed down and landed on the ground on both feet. He again pointed his wand at himself and said " _Scourgify"_ to remove the slime and dirt that had collected on his body and robes.

He pointed his wand in front of him to illuminate the path. He was in some sort of stone tunnel. After walking for a few meters, he stopped. He spotted something huge and carved lying on the floor. He closed his eyes, and prayed to anyone who would listen for strength as he went forward. His eyes went wide when he realised that it was snake skin. It was vivid poisonous green and must be at least twenty feet long or more. Harry swallowed as he thought back to what he had read about those giant snakes. The largest recorded was thirty-one feet in length. He was sincerely hoping this one wasn't too big.

He walked for a few more minutes, idly looking around. Finally, he ended up in front of a giant stone wall which had two snakes intertwined, with emeralds for eyes. Swallowing his nervousness and reinforcing his mental shields, he uttered " _Open"_ in parseltongue.

The serpents parted and the door opened with a hiss. Harry, still shaking from head to toe despite his Occlumency, stepped in.

He was standing at the end of a very long and dimly lit chamber. Giant statues of snakes were on both sides, just like he had seen in that memory. The ceiling was lost in the darkness and there was an odd greenish glow to the entire place. Ancient lighting charms and torches illuminated a large statue two hundred meters from his position and he could see from so far away that Ginny Weasley was lying down in front of it. He slowly walked towards her, idly looking around for the Basilisk. He reached the girl, bent down as shook her "Wealsey, wake up" he said.

"She won't wake" said a soft voice.

Harry immediately stood up and took his duelling stance in record time. His eyes narrowed when he saw a tall black haired boy leaning against a stone pillar. The edges of his body seemed to be blurred, but he was quite clear. And he was also holding a wand.

"Who are you?" asked Harry quietly, still not having moved from his stance.

"I'm Tom Riddle" said the boy. Harry narrowed his eyes. "Tom Riddle? The same Tom Riddle who went to Hogwarts fifty years ago? The one that got Hagrid expelled?" he asked.

"The very same" answered Tom.

"What are you?" asked Harry, relaxing, but still keeping his wand tight in his hand.

"A memory" said Riddle quietly, "preserved in a diary for fifty years."

Harry turned and saw a small back diary near the foot of the statue. Just as he had suspected, memories started coming to his mind, but he used Occlumency to lock them away for now. He could view them later. Now was not the time to get distracted.

"You're lying. Memories are not interactive" said Harry in the same, low voice.

"Quite" said Riddle amused. "This diary is something much more."

Both of them stared at each other for several seconds, waiting for the other to speak. Harry knew this Riddle was no ordinary individual. Who was he?

"I've waited a long time to meet you, Hadrian Potter" said Riddle. "So long."

"Good to know" replied Harry, still not taking his eyes away from Riddle. He could sense there was something fishy here; something very familiar, yet very evil.

"How did Weasley get this diary?" Harry asked.

"Well, that's an interesting question" said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"Elaborate" said Harry quietly.

"My diary Harry; little Ginny has been writing in it for months, telling me about all her problems - how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with second-hand robes and books, how - " Riddle's eyes gleamed as he continued "how she didn't think the famous, handsome Hadrian Potter would ever like her."

All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them. "It was quite boring to listen to the problems of an eleven-year-old girl. But I was patient" said Riddle. "I wrote back and sympathised with her. Ginny simply loved me! It's so easy to manipulate people when they think you're the good one isn't it?" he said and laughed. It was a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. Harry just raised one eyebrow at this.

"She poured all of her secrets into me" said Riddle. "She poured out her soul to me, and that was exactly what I needed. I slowly grew stronger, far stronger than young Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding some of _my_ secrets back into her."

"She doesn't even know that she was the one that opened the chamber, does she?" asked Harry.

"Of course not, but she suspected of course. You should have read some of her recent diary entries. They were far more entertaining. " _Dear Tom, I think I'm losing my mind! I have rooster feathers and blood all over my uniform! I don't know what's happening to me. I think I'm going mad Tom! Maybe I'm the one behind these attacks!"_ said Riddle in a mocking girlish tone.

Harry didn't react. He simply stood still and stared at the boy in front of him. He needed an opening to attack. His mind was working overtime trying to analyse the chamber, and what could be used to defeat Riddle in a duel.

"Of course, Ginny tried getting rid of the diary, but I couldn't have that. I wanted you to find it, but you were specifically avoiding her like the plague, weren't you?" said Riddle, sounding amused. "She wrote to me about that too. How you were betrothed to Miss Daphne Greengrass and how she thought she could never ever get married to you."

Harry's eye twitched slightly. "It was you who opened the chamber fifty years ago, wasn't it? How did Hagrid take the blame?" asked Harry, changing the topic.

Riddle smirked. His face, while handsome, had an evil look in place. "That was quite easy, Harry. I knew Hagrid was caring for an Acromantula and I used it to pin the blame on him. It worked so well, that even _I_ was surprised how foolishly everyone believed Hagrid to the Heir of Slytherin. Besides, who would they believe? On one hand, you have Tom Riddle, poor and orphaned, brilliant, prefect, model student; on the other hand, you have Hagrid who used to get into trouble every other week over some creature or the other. Was it any surprise that he was expelled?"

Harry snorted. He couldn't argue with that. While Hagrid may be huge, he was mentally a child with no common sense what so ever. He would have gotten expelled for keeping an Acromantula in school anyway. Wait, Acromantula? He would have to look into that later.

"Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed. . . . Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did. . . ." said Riddle.

Harry made a sound of annoyance. "I don't particularly care about your relationship with Dumbledore. I don't give a flying fuck. What I would like to know is how you have been attacking the students."

"After Hagrid was expelled" continued Riddle as though he was uninterrupted "Dumbledore kept an annoyingly close watch on me. So I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, I could finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work" boasted Riddle.

"Well, your job isn't finished. In fact, I was starting to wonder if you'd lost your focus. After all, one of the victims you attacked was a pureblood. That would not exactly make Salazar happy would it?" asked Harry smirking.

"Oh, my dear Harry you misunderstand me" purred Riddle. "Daphne Greengrass was attacked solely because of her connection to you. I wanted to meet you very badly, and what better way to get you here if not by attacking the one most precious to you?"

Harry's eyes flashed bright green. "And why did you want to meet me?" he asked quietly.

Riddle smiled pleasantly and said "Well, how is it that _you_ – a boy with no extraordinary magical talent managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing more than a _scar_ while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

There was an old red gleam in his eyes now. But in Harry's mind, the pieces of the puzzle were slowly started to fit together. He had figured out who Tom Riddle was. He had searched the papers which had been printed during the war for any clues that could reveal the man's identity, and he had finally solved it. But he wanted Riddle to confirm it himself.

"Why do you care how I escaped?" asked Harry. "Voldemort was after your time."

"Voldemort" replied Riddle softly "is my past, present, and future."

Riddle used Ginny Weasley's wand and used it to trace words through the air.

 _TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE_

He then waved his wand, and the letters began rearranging themselves.

 _I AM LORD VOLDEMORT_

"You see?" he whispered. "Did you think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, the descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's family keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry — I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Harry couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. His laughter echoed through the large chamber. After getting his laughter under control he said "You're a halfblood? A son of a muggle? Wow! Talk about irony of life. You were supposed to be the champion of the pureblood cause; your followers despise anyone with muggle blood and their master himself is the son of a muggle! And from what you've told me I'm pretty sure your mother was from the Gaunt family; a family so unstable that they tended to marry their own siblings to keep their bloodline 'pure'. So that makes you the son of a muggle and a squib! How ironic!"

Riddle's face went red with anger. Before he could say anything more Harry interrupted again. "And just what makes you think you're the Heir of Slytherin in the first place? I must admit, it was a good idea to use Salazar's name to further your own goals. But really? You, the heir? I don't think so" said Harry smiling slightly.

"I did my research Potter!" said Riddle, his eyes blazing with fury. "I traced my ancestry to Salazar Slytherin through the Gaunt family -"

" – who only _claimed_ to be descendants of the Founder. You're forgetting who you're talking to Riddle. I'm the Lord of the Potter family. My family can trace its roots all the way back to the Roman Republic, almost 2500 years ago. Do you think I would say something without thoroughly researching about it first? As I said, the Gaunts only _claimed_ they were descendants of Slytherin. It has never been backed up by evidence or fact. Were your maternal grandfather or his ancestors ever able to claim the Slytherin Lordship if that were the case?" asked Harry softly, but his words were firm, and his voice echoed around the chamber.

"I'm a parselmouth, Potter! That shows I'm descendant from Slytherin!" shouted Riddle, who now looked beyond angry. Perfect, thought Harry. Riddle was exactly where he wanted him. Volatile emotions distract people, and he wanted Riddle's thoughts far away from the Basilisk. Hopefully, he could kill him without having to deal with the deadly snake.

"So what? I'm a parselmouth too! For all your claims of being brilliant, you really are downright stupid. Did you think you're the only parselmouth in the world? Or that parseltongue was a talent that only runs in the Slytherin bloodline?" asked Harry.

Looking at Riddle's expression, Harry guessed that the other boy really did think that was the case, and so did almost every witch and wizard in Britain. "Look, you moron, let me give you a history lesson. Parseltongue is an ancient magical language that is actually indigenous to Magical India. You can find more parselmouths there than anywhere else in the world. In fact, it is considered so sacred there and in the rest of Asia that they created a school only for parselmouths almost 4000 years ago. The ancient mages who live there taught a bit about parselmagic to other witches and wizards from around the world, so others too found out that they were born with the talent. That is how you now find parselmouths everywhere in the world, even though they are minuscule in number compared to the general wizarding population."

"The reason parseltongue is feared by most magicals in Europe is because of the Ancient Greek Dark Wizard Herpo the Foul. That bastard twisted the sacred language and created very dark and foul spells and rituals with it, including the discovery of how a Basilisk is born. So tell me, are so many witches and wizards related to Salazar as well? Then I must say that man must have had a lot of kids!" said Harry smirking.

Riddle was seething but managed to calm down. "To business, Harry" said Riddle. "In your past and in my future, we have met. And I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive."

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 23**

 **"** **Now, Harry I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin against the famous Hadrian Pot - "**

 **But that was all he said before Harry took his cue and slashed his wand in the air.**

 **AN:** I know that this chapter follows a lot of canon, but I couldn't help it. If you wonder why Harry went into the chamber without backup, it will be explained later. I have always felt that Harry defeating the basilisk alone is a pivotal moment in his life, and I don't want to take that away.

I have always wondered about parseltongue, and how it came to be. There is no way Salazar Slytherin could be the only one in the world, so I created a bit of history for it.

Some of you have criticised me about the previous chapter, about how Harry was targeted by his peers. As it was pointed out to me, you don't attack a person who you suspect has a machine gun in his possession. But I have to admit, I have always felt that Chamber of Secrets had a dark theme to it. If Rowling had not intended the first few books to be children's stories, it could have turned out darker, like Order of the Phoenix. It is with that thought process did I write those chapters. Harry will get back at all those people; but it won't be anything direct. That's not in his personality as he is more of a silent and cunning sort of boy; a perfect Slytherin who loves books.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Riddle was seething but managed to calm down. "To business, Harry" said Riddle. "In your past and in my future, we have met. And I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive."

Harry thought about it. He had no problem with revealing how brilliant his mother had been; it was a fact that made him swell with pride to have been privileged enough to be born as her son. But he needed to know what that diary was. It was important.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But first, why don't you tell me what that diary really is?" asked Harry slowly.

Riddle smiled widely. "That is something I don't mind since you won't be leaving the chamber alive anyway. After all, I'm very proud of its creation. That, my dear Harry, is a Horcrux" he boasted.

When Riddle uttered the word 'Horcrux', many memories suddenly rammed into Harry's conscious mind. Harry winced in pain as he did his best to push those memories under his mental shields. That was probably the most important information of all, and he couldn't watch them now. Thankfully, Riddle hadn't noticed Harry's sudden pain, as he was still basking in the glory of what he had achieved.

"Fine, I'll tell you the story of how I survived. The fact of the matter is that my mother saved my life" said Harry quietly.

"Ah, so your mother died to save you. A mother's _love_ " spat Riddle. "That defeated - "

"Oh please!" said Harry, rolling his eyes and interrupting Riddle. "What are you, Albus Dumbledore? Do you think that by a mother loving and dying for her child could save the baby from certain death? Think, you idiot! You might as well believe in the tales of Beedle the Bard, the way you're going!" said Harry exasperated.

"My mother was a parselmouth" said Harry as he watched Riddle's eyes go wide. "She created a ritual based on sacrificial magic in order to save my life. This ritual had to be performed in parseltongue, and in advance. So unless you know that the person's life is in imminent danger, the ritual is useless and you can't use it to save your own life either. It can only be used to protect another person who you share your blood with. That scar you spoke of? The one on my forehead was just the one of many runes carved all over my body by my mother with her blood. She then laid a trap for you, and you walked right into it. For the ritual to be completed, my mother had to sacrifice her life; that was the only way to save mine. And your counterpart killed her, finishing the ritual. So when Voldemort tried to kill me, the Killing Curse which should have killed me, backfired and hit Voldemort instead. Poetic justice don't you agree? Ironic, that a – what was the word again? Oh yes, a filthy mudblood was able to device a way to stop the _Avada Kedavra_ curse that eluded witches and wizards for thousands of years! And the saviour of the pureblood cause and the so-called most powerful wizard in the world was defeated by a mere muggleborn!" said Harry, and laughed a loud, mocking laugh. It was unnerving.

"You know what I think? You really don't care about purebloods at all. I'm pretty sure you're hatred of muggles was due to you having a bad childhood. You were an orphan were you not? That means you probably grew up in an orphanage, and the muggles there didn't treat you well. And you took that hatred and let it consume you, making you hate muggleborns as well. I can see that your robes are Slytherin, so when you were sorted there, you were ridiculed by the rest of your housemates for being a muggleborn. So you decided to attack and intimidate them to rise to the top of the food chain, didn't you? That's why you changed your name as well. Several years later, you came back as Voldemort and started killing everyone, purebloods, halfbloods and muggleborns alike. You couldn't gain the Slytherin Lordship as it wasn't passed on to you, and unless you get the family ring and its magic accepts you, you can't get a permanent seat on the Wizengamot. You didn't like contesting in elections because I'm pretty sure you don't like begging people for votes. So in order to reach the top of the ladder, you killed everyone that stood in your way! Your own supporters were treated like slaves, but that was your revenge against the purebloods, wasn't it? I'm _shocked_ that you even managed to get as much power as you did! What did you finally achieve in the end? Nothing! You're counterpart is hiding somewhere too weak to carry on. What kind of life is that?" asked Harry, his magic swirling around him as he spoke.

Riddle's face was red with anger. But again, Harry interrupted him and said "What do you know about a hard life anyway, Riddle? You looked very healthy when you were sixteen. You were probably bullied by the older kids in the orphanage. Is that all? Do you know how many muggleborns all over the world are treated by muggles for being magical? They die in thousands! What do you know about abuse? I was treated worse a slave! I was forced to clean the house and weed the gardens when I was three years old. I was beaten up every day for as long as I can remember. I was not given food to eat for days, sometimes weeks at a time! I was locked in a boot cupboard under the stairs, which was where my room was. My aunt used to hit me on the head with a hot frying pan! I was almost raped by my uncle when I was just six years old! He hit me with red hot iron rods and finally stabbed me with the intention of killing me! I was seven years old when I finally escaped their torture! What have you faced Riddle? Tell me!" shouted Harry. His hair was once again pure white, his skin and eyes were glowing and bolts of lightning surrounded his body.

"Then join me, Harry and together we can - "said Riddle but Harry again cut him off.

" – kill all the muggles? Are you by any chance insane Riddle? Wait, don't answer that. You clearly are. There are more than five billion muggles populating the planet. Do I hold a grudge against each one of them? I'm not you Riddle. I'm not an insane megalomaniac bent on world conquest who takes his ire on the rest of the world because he has daddy issues. Right now, my only enemy is _you._ You killed my parents and grandparents. It was because of you that I've had to suffer as I did. You're the reason for the current state of stagnation which permeates Magical Britain. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a waste, and yet you, in your infinite wisdom brought about the near destruction of our world" said Harry.

Riddle's face was ugly with rage. Both boys started moving, circling each other, ready to pounce and tear the other into pieces at any second. After several seconds, Riddle forced an awful smile. "So, your mother died to save you" he said. "Ergo, there's nothing special about you after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us after all; both half-bloods, orphans, raised by muggles. We even _look_ similar, attracting attention with our astonishingly good looks. But now I know it that it was merely luck that saved you from me."

Harry breathed deeply. Almost there . . .

"Now, Harry I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin against the famous Harry Pot - "

But that was all he said before Harry took his cue and slashed his wand in the air. A dark blue jet of light flew from his wand towards Riddle who dodged it, looking thoroughly surprised. Riddle smirked and sent a dark curse towards Harry and said "A Bone Breaking Curse? My, oh my, looks like somebody isn't Dumbledore's golden boy."

Harry snarled internally; that old goat's golden boy? He upped his attack and threw a wide range of curses at Riddle while dodging spells sent his way as well. A smirk slowly formed its way on Harry's lips as jets of light flew from both wands. He was actually _enjoying_ _this._ While the Duelling Tournament was good, it didn't challenge him, while Riddle did. They were both using curses and jinxes; okay, time to switch tactics.

Harry flicked his wand at the pool of water to his right. The water flew up into the air; Harry quickly spun his wand in a small round motion and the water immediately flew to Riddle, trapping him in a large sphere of water. The tip of Harry's wand was glowing bright blue while he was using his off hand to steer the sphere of water to the other side. Suddenly, Riddle broke free and banished huge gallons of water back at Harry. Harry charmed it to solidify into ice and transfigured it into tiny, razor sharp ice crystals and flung them back at Riddle. The other boy slashed his wand in the air and transfigured the ice crystals into grains of sand. He then moved his wand in a circular motion many times, while pointing it up. The sand formed a mini tornado which was fast approaching Harry.

Harry then pointed his wand at one of the ancient torches in the chamber which flew off its hold; the fire disintegrated the sand tornado, but it turned into a giant fire eagle which launched itself at Riddle. But it no longer was an eagle, but a large black serpent moving towards Harry who blasted it to smoke, which solidified within seconds to form several daggers which moved towards Riddle. The older boy conjured marble to impact the daggers, but some of them escaped and hit him in the head and chest.

Harry had just dodged the block of marble which had headed his way when he saw the daggers impact Riddle. "It's over Tom. You - " said Harry, but stopped mid-sentence with his jaw hanging open.

Tom Riddle smiled at Harry widely. The holes that had formed in his chest and head had disappeared as if they had never existed. "Did you think you could defeat me, Harry? I am Lord Voldemort! The greatest wizard of them all; one that was able to drive Dumbledore away from this castle! Did you think I would lose to a mere twelve-year-old boy?" he sneered.

Harry stood silently, breathing hard. This was not a regular body; it was a magical construct so conventional means would not work. How else was he supposed to kill him?

"Do you feel safe now, Harry Potter? You were foolish to come here alone" said Riddle. "There's no one here to help you. What's going to stop you from dying now?"

"That's where you're wrong Tommy boy" smirked Harry. "I'm never alone. I always have a friend who has my back. Want to meet him? Aquila!" he said.

Riddle narrowed his eyes. Just then, there was an almighty clap of thunder and a there was a bright flash of lightning above as an enormous bird appeared from bolts of lightning. The bird flew over and landed next to Harry, who smirked at Riddle.

"A thunderbird; I've never seen one before" whispered Riddle.

"Meet Aquila" said Harry. "My oldest friend and familiar; I'm not alone, Riddle."

Riddle smirked. "Very good, Harry. But what can an overgrown eagle do against the King of Serpents? Besides, I really thought Albus Dumbledore would help you. Looks like you're not on his list of priorities."

"I don't need - " began Harry but was cut off by a flash of fire and a song. The song was melodious, and it lifted Harry's spirit. A red and gold phoenix came over, tossed Harry an old hot and flew over to rest on his shoulder.

"Fawkes?" asked Harry bewildered.

Riddle laughed loudly. "Are you happy now, Harry? Is this what Dumbledore sends his great champion? A song bird and the old sorting hat; how pathetic"

Harry looked down, and indeed, it was the school sorting hat, old and battered as always. There was no way whatsoever Dumbledore could have sent Fawkes; the old man would have rejoiced at seeing Harry dead. But why did Fawkes bring him the hat?

Riddle turned away and addressed the giant statue and said, " _Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four"_

Harry wheeled around to look up at the giant face of the statue. Horror-struck, Harry watched as the mouth opened to make an enormous black hole, just as he heard a hiss. Something was stirring inside the mouth.

"Sweet Merlin, the Basilisk" whispered Harry.

Fawkes flew off his shoulder and he heard Aquila say " _Harry, we'll take care of the snake; you deal with that evil wizard"_ ; saying that, the thunderbird too took off into the air. Harry heard something massive hit the stone floor of the chamber. He then heard Riddle hissing " _Kill him"_

Harry closed his eyes and extended his senses. He then twirled his wand and started attacking Riddle with several curses. He could feel the Basilisk moving towards him. He took the Sorting Hat and placed it on his head for all the help it could do. Why did Salazar keep a Basilisk in a school? It made no sense! He founded Hogwarts to protect magical children from the muggles. So there was no way he would use it to kill the students of the castle, muggleborn or not. It was his job to protect the students –

 _Protect._ That was it! Salazar did not raise this Basilisk to kill the students, but rather to protect the students in case the muggles ever invaded the castle. It was probably the final backup plan, in case all was lost. The snake had been here for more than a thousand years; it must be confused as to who really was the enemy.

Harry heard Aquila and Fawkes shriek so he knew they were battling the Basilisk. Wanting to help them, while at the same time dodging curses from Riddle, he conjured a rooster and hit it with a sonorous charm. The rooster crowed loudly. The Basilisk shrieked, so Harry finally couldn't take it anymore and opened his eyes a bit.

The sight before him was astounding. Fawkes and Aquila were surrounding the Basilisk, a snake so massive that it was probably more than seventy feet long, with Fawkes distracting it and Aquila hitting it with bolts of lightning, which was clearly weakening it, but not by much.

" _Harry, we have destroyed its eyes. It can't kill with its eyes anymore. You can see!"_ said Aquila.

Harry looked and saw Aquila send bolts of lightning at the basilisk's eyes, making it shriek with agony. But the moment in which Harry had turned was his undoing; a blasting curse impacted the floor in front of him and he was thrown back and painfully collided with one of the snake statues. He crumpled to the ground, just as a trail of blood smeared on the statue behind, clearly from his head.

" _NO! LEAVE THOSE BIRDS! LEAVE THE BIRDS!"_ screamed Riddle. " _THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!"_

Harry looked to see Aquila waging a losing battle. Clearly, using so many bolts of lightning when there wasn't a storm around to rejuvenate him had its toll on the massive thunderbird.

What was shocking to the bone was that the Basilisk didn't seem to have been killed by the rooster. It screeched and probably injured the mighty seventy-foot long snake, but it didn't kill it as it was supposed to.

"Oh Salazar, your effort into protecting the school turned out to be your undoing. What was supposed to protect the castle is now the cause of its destruction" thought Harry. He slowly got up, his body shaking. Several bones all over his body were clearly broken, so he quickly used a numbing charm on them so that it couldn't distract him.

"Thank you for believing in the true legacy of Salazar Slytherin, Lord Potter and not believing in the twisted version of history. You are truly worthy of being the Heir of Gryffindor. Godric would be proud of you" said the Sorting Hat in Harry's mind. The next second, Harry felt something very hard and heavy hitting him on the head, which almost knocked him out. He pulled the hat away from his head, only to grab a handle. He pulled on it to grab a gleaming silver sword probably four feet long, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.

The Basilisk approached him. Harry quickly raised the sword, but what was the use? He had learnt martial arts, but not fencing! The Basilisk lunged blindly. It missed Harry, but it struck the giant snake statue, sending stone everywhere. Harry tried to strike it back, but the great tail of the snake struck him instead, throwing him across the chamber.

Harry screamed in pain as he impacted another statue. He immediately got up, though badly injured. Aquila screeched in anger. The thunderbird attacked the basilisk with an almighty dive and tried to rip its skin off, but it didn't work, even though Fawkes tried the same from the opposite side. The basilisk opened its mouth wide, intending to bite or swallow the bird. The thunderbird threw a powerful bolt of lightning at its mouth. It definitely injured the giant snake, but severely weakened the majestic bird. Aquila crumpled to the ground with a whimper.

"AQUILA!" shouted Harry in concern. He flicked his wand to conjure a ladder and climbed on top of one of the snake statues. " _I'm here, you dirty piece of shit! Take me instead!"_ shouted Harry angrily to the basilisk.

The basilisk turned and lunged at Harry, its mouth open. Harry, expecting this, took the hilt with both hands and struck it at the roof of its mouth. The long sword pierced the creature's brain, killing it. But Harry didn't escape unaffected. Harry screamed loudly in pain as blood splattered all over him and one long poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into Harry's arm. The basilisk gave one hiss, and it spun around and fell the ground dead. But when it fell down, it also grabbed Harry who was suffering from the pain from on top of the statue to throw him back to the stone floor.

Harry fell with a thud on the smooth stone floor of the chamber. White hot pain, more than anything he had ever experienced was spreading from his arm to other parts of his body. He did his best to control his tears, but he couldn't stop them from falling as he heaved a sob. "Aquila" he said to the thunderbird. "I'm so sorry buddy. Please forgive me. I'm so terribly sorry" he said crying.

His crying stopped when he heard mocking laughter. He looked up with his blurred vision to see Riddle coming closer to him. "Your dead, Harry Potter" said Riddle. "Dead. See? Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. He's crying, just like you are. Pathetic."

"And so ends the great and mighty Potter family" said Riddle, his voice sounding distant. "After almost 2500 years, you found your match at the hands of Lord Voldemort. The last Lord Potter, alone in the Chamber of Secrets, defeated by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear mudblood mother soon, Harry. She bought you twelve years of borrowed time . . . but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you know he must."

But Harry didn't feel worse. In fact, he was feeling better. The chamber was sliding back into focus as he saw Fawkes cry into his wound. _Phoenix tears!_ He wasn't dying, he was being healed!

Just as the wound closed, Riddle realised the same thing. "Get away, bird! Get away from him" shouted Riddle blasting a curse at the spot Fawkes had until then occupied.

"Phoenix tears . . . healing powers" said Riddle quietly. "Of course, I forgot. Very well. I prefer it this way. You're in no state to duel and I want to make this quick."

He raised his wand, but just then Harry wandlessly summoned the diary and slammed the basilisk fang into it. There was a long, dreadful scream and ink poured out of the wound. Riddle screamed in agony and was suddenly gone. The chamber was silent.

"Fawkes, you were amazing. Thank you so much. I owe you my life" whispered Harry, looking at the phoenix. The bird trilled happily and Harry chuckled. "If you ever get bored listening to the lemon drop sucking old goat talking about the greater good, just come to my place. I own a large beach house in Hawaii. Warm climate, crystalline beaches, beautiful witches willing to feed you your favourite food, now isn't that a vacation?" asked Harry grinning slightly.

The red and gold bird trilled happily again, bobbing his head. Harry smiled, got up and went over to his friend. Aquila looked very tired indeed. Harry looked into his eyes, and hugged the bird. "I'm so sorry" he said as he broke down crying again. "I never meant to put you in danger, buddy. You've done so much for me, saving me from the Dursleys, taking care of me; and now I put you in danger. I'm so sorry" he wailed.

Aquila nuzzled his beak on Harry's shoulder. " _Don't feel guilty little one. Didn't you say that we are brothers? That's what brothers do, isn't it? Help each other at the time of need? I will never leave you, Harry. You are as precious to me as I am to you. I don't blame you. That snake was a lot more powerful that I realised, but you killed it. I'm so proud of you Harry"_ said the thunderbird.

Harry smiled, kissed his feathers and said, "Why don't you go recover from this battle? I'll see you after the school year is done. Take care of yourself."

Aquila nodded. He bowed to Fawkes who bowed back to him. With that, Aquila with some effort flew to the end of the chamber, and with a flash of lightning, disappeared.

Harry went over to the basilisk and removed the sword which was still lodged in its mouth. Even though the sword was four feet long, it didn't feel as heavy. It definitely looked richly decorated, looking like the sword of a king. Harry looked at the blade and gasped when he saw the inscription.

 _GODRIC GRYFFINDOR_

"When Geraldine Gryffindor and Alan Potter had a son, Godric was in a dilemma" said the Sorting Hat, suddenly. "He didn't know whether to pass on the Gryffindor family titles and fortune to his grandson. He knew that gold really did not matter much to the Potters as they had so much of it themselves, so he finally decided that he would not give it immediately. It would only pass on to a child of the Potter family who embodied what Hogwarts represented."

The hat continued "The only way for any Potter to claim the Gryffindor title and fortune, as you know, is to find his legendary sword. That much is known to the Potters, considering they have been searching for it for the last thousand years; but what you didn't know was that it wasn't a game of hide and seek. Godric entrusted me with the sword and told me to present it to someone of his blood who I felt was worthy. I have sorted generations of Potters into all four houses of Hogwarts. Many of them were exceptional, but I waited, until you came to the castle. You're immensely loyal to your family and to your familiar; you're very intelligent and think logically to solve a problem to arrive at a solution that could help everyone; you're very brave and honourable to have accepted the destiny of your life and enter the chamber knowing that you might not make it out alive; you're cunning and ambitious, and while you use opportunities which are presented for your own gain, you deeply care about your magical brethren and use those opportunities to help them. You truly believed that Salazar could not have been evil, and that was what made me finally choose you. You are unique, Hadrian Potter. I have never encountered anyone like you before. You are truly worthy of bearing Godric's family name. Welcome back, Lord Gryffindor."

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 24**

 **"** **So, why should he tell any of you anything while you are all a bunch of ungrateful pigs? He doesn't owe any of you anything" she said. Daphne's eyes were glowing with anger, and her aura was palpable with her magic swirling around her body.**

 **AN** : Well, I didn't want to keep you hanging, so two chapters in one day! I hope you all liked the fight scene. I did my best to include a fight between Harry and Riddle, basilisk and Aquila, and finally Harry and the basilisk.

I've always felt that Salazar shouldn't have remained evil. I had hoped that Rowling would have shown that those sorted into Slytherin aren't evil (Snape doesn't count). Even in the Epilogue, we see the 'better be sorted into Gryffindor and not Slytherin, or else' speech. In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, once Albus is sorted into Slytherin, things go wrong. That's why I created this theory, and the true lives of the founders will be explained later.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Welcome back, Lord Gryffindor"

Harry blushed brightly. But he couldn't ignore the various injuries he had suffered any more. Just then, suddenly Ginny Weasley woke up with a groan. Her eyes travelled to the giant basilisk corpse to a blood-soaked, injured Harry standing next to it.

"Harry – oh, Harry. I wanted to tell you today at dinner, but you kept avoiding me. It was _me_ , Riddle m- made me do it. I s-swear. Where's Riddle? The last t-thing I remember - " said Ginny.

"It's alright" said Harry, his emotionless mask slipping back into place. "Riddle is finished. And I know you're not to blame either. You were possessed by what was clearly a dark artefact. Let's go. We both need medical attention. Hopefully, both of us can come out of this without any long lasting damage, though I'm doubtful" he said looking at his right hand. Were the phoenix tears enough to counter the poison that had spread all over this body?

Ginny was babbling about her getting expelled, but Harry did not pay much attention. Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged Ginny forward; they stepped back into the tunnel as the great stone doors closed behind them with a hiss.

Harry took the sword and hat with one hand, pocketed the diary and grabbed Fawkes's tail feathers with the other. He asked Ginny to grab his leg and they flew up the pipe until finally, they reached Myrtle's bathroom.

"You're alive" she said flatly.

"Sorry about that Myrtle, but it looks like I won't be sharing your bathroom after all" said Harry dryly as he escorted Ginny out.

"Where now?" asked Ginny.

"Hospital Wing" said Harry as he limped along. He was in terrible pain as the numbing charms didn't seem to have an effect any longer. Tears picked his eyes; hopefully, Madam Pomfrey would be able to heal him soon.

But before that, he decided that there was something more important than that. "Toby" he said.

"Yes, Master Hadrian? Master, what happened to you?" asked Toby shocked at Harry's appearance.

"You and the rest of the elves can yell at me later Toby" said Harry smiling slightly. "But for now, I want you to take this sword and this diary and place it in the high-security vault in my study at Potter Castle. And make sure to increase the wards around the study as well, just in case. Instruct the elves not to touch it. The sword is coated with basilisk venom and this is its fang" he explained.

Toby nodded and popped away with the sword and the diary. Ginny was gaping at Harry " _Potter Castle?"_ she asked disbelievingly.

"My home, that's where I live" explained Harry as he limped along to the Hospital wing, Ginny following him and idly wondering how rich Harry really was. Once they approached, he opened the door and went in. Harry mentally groaned when he saw several people there. It looked like they were in the process of giving the Mandrake Draught to the students. All of the petrified victims were sitting on their beds, along with Madam Pomfrey, Horace Slughorn and Lord and Lady Greengrass. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Daphne sitting on her bed, her eyes red with tears, but her expression stony.

"Harry, Miss Weasley!" shouted Slughorn. "We received reports that Miss Weasley was taken into the chamber and that Harry went in after her. What happened?"

"The danger of the Chamber of Secrets has passed, Professor. But right now, we need medical attention. Madam Pomfrey?" he asked looking at the Hogwarts resident healer.

Just then, the doors of the Hospital Wing burst open and Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Mr and Mrs Weasley came in. Harry and Daphne made eye contact and both snorted and rolled their eyes. There was an almighty scream.

" _Ginny!"_

Mrs Weasley leapt forward and engulfed her daughter so hard, that Harry cringed just by looking at the bone-crushing hug. There was no way he would _ever_ accept a hug like that from anybody. He liked Daphne's hugs; they were so warm and comforting –

"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?" screamed Mrs Weasley, moving towards Harry, intending to give him a tight hug as well.

Harry's eyes went wide and his body tensed. He didn't know how he would react in case that woman gave him such a bone crushing hug; but involuntarily attacking her and hyperventilation was a good bet. He stepped back and put his hand in front of him, but Mrs Weasley was coming with her arms raised. Just before he impacted the wall behind him, someone put up a shield between them. Harry turned to find the source and exhaled in relief. Daphne was standing with her wand aloft, still wearing a stony expression on her face.

"Miss Greengrass! How could you attack her?" shouted Professor McGonagall.

Mrs Wealsey bounced off the shield and her face went red with anger. "Just who do you think you are, young lady?" screeched Molly loud enough to destroy anyone's hearing.

Daphne coolly put her wand down and said coldly "I believe my fiancé has already told you _not_ to grab him in a hug. He's not comfortable with it. Is that so difficult to understand and respect people's personal space?"

"Miss Greengrass that was uncalled for" said McGonagall sternly. "That will be ten points from Slytherin and you had better apologise to the lady."

Elizabeth Greengrass looked like she was about to say something to McGoonagall about her insensitive nature, but Daphne snorted, ignoring the shocked Transfiguration teacher who probably had never had a student ignore her before.

"What I would like to know is how young Harry escaped from the chamber" said Dumbledore smiling happily. "That was very honourable of you to go rescue young Miss Weasley, Harry. Clearly, you care a lot about her."

Harry snorted. Leave it to Dumbledore to think of this as a way to get him and that Weasley fangirl together. He slowly limped his way to Daphne's bed where she helped him remove his robe and lie down. He whimpered when his head came into contact with the pillow.

Daphne turned around, her dark blonde hair whipping her face. Her deep blue eyes were glowing with righteous anger. "I think you need to get your eyesight checked, Headmaster. Otherwise, you would have asked Madam Pomfrey to treat his extensive injuries rather than engage in storytelling" she said with gritted teeth.

Cyrus and Elizabeth looked at each other stunned. They had never seen their daughter like this. "Miss Greengrass, that's enough from you" said McGonagall, losing her temper. "You shall not disrespect the Headmaster. That'll be another twenty points from Slytherin, and the next time will be a detention."

Daphne's eye twitched, and her parents looked furious as well. "What kind of teacher are you?" she snapped looking at Minerva McGonagall. "First you believe in the lies sprouted by that senile old goat we call a Headmaster about my fiancé being the Heir of Slytherin and opening the Chamber of Secrets, and now you deduct points from me because I'm doing my duty to protect my fiancé? You're the Deputy Headmistress for Merlin's sake! That title doesn't just mean that your name appears on the letters for the first years and be done with it! It means that if there is a crisis, you keep your head and act in a rational manner, and ensure that all four houses are treated fairly, but of course, that's not possible when you're the Head of Gryffindor, is it? You didn't believe Harry when he said that he had been sexually molested by Lockhart, even though you knew that no one makes such an accusation without evidence or just to get someone in trouble. If Professor Flitwick hadn't been there, you would have just let it go and assigned Harry detention for lying, wouldn't you? I'm so glad Harry and I are not in Gryffindor because it would have been shameful to be under the thumb of such a disgusting, bigoted teacher. Deduct points and give detention to someone who cares, Professor. To me, nothing is more important than my fiancé and you, the harridan Weasley and the manipulative old goat standing next to you can all go to hell for all I care."

She turned back to Harry, just as Madam Pomfrey came over to him and scanned him. Dumbledore and McGonagall came over to him too though the latter was in a terrible state of shock at being told off by a second-year student, but Daphne held her hand in place to stop them. "I believe that it is the custom that discretion is maintained when it comes to the patient and healer. Step back; you have no business here" she said quietly.

Dumbledore finally had enough. He stepped forward, his aura blazing and said "I'm the Headmaster of the school and I have the right to - "

" – nothing" replied Daphne coldly. "You only have the right to a student's medical information if it's contagious or if you're acting in loco parentis. But since my fiancé is emancipated, the latter does not apply. I repeat, step back."

Daphne was furious. She had never been this angry before. Harry had decided to go into the chamber and fight the bloody basilisk without any help! And now, McGonagall was being a bitch and Dumbledore was trying to find out what was going on. She was very close to attacking someone. Her anger intensified and the aura around her was palpable as her body and the air around her were glowing with a pale gold light. Her parents were furious at the way their daughter was being treated and demanded answers from McGonagall, who didn't know how to respond as she was still in a state of shock.

Daphne immediately put up a strong privacy ward before Dumbledore could move and asked Madam Pomfrey "How is he?"

"This is bad" said the school healer. "Bones are broken all over his body, his face is puffed up, he's exhausted, has internal bleeding in various places, a concussion, there is trauma to the skull and spine and he seems to have been infected by a poison that I can't identify."

"You were bitten?" hissed Daphne, her eyes wide.

Harry looked at her and said, "Fawkes cried into the wound, but my uniform is splattered with its blood; we'll have to burn them. But I'm not very sure if it's completely neutralised."

Daphne took several calming breaths and turned to Madam Pomfrey. "Can you check if the poison is still affecting him or may affect him in the future?" she asked firmly.

Madam Pomfrey wanted to object and demand what the poison was but finally decided against it, for now, realising that Daphne was very close to attacking someone. She performed a deep scan on Harry's body and replied "The poison is completely neutralised. Traces of it will always be in his blood stream along with the phoenix tears, but it won't affect him. I'm not sure what poison it is, but the phoenix tears seem to have done its job. The tears heal all known poisons after all."

Daphne nodded. She then helped Harry remove his clothes. She turned and saw the rest of the people all staring at them. She snarled and summoned the screens from the other side of the room. Really, those people had no sense of privacy! She made Harry strip down to his boxers, not caring that Harry was blushing because of the tent that had formed in his pants due to her touch.

"Toby" she called out.

The elf popped in and asked, "What can Toby do for Miss Daphne?"

"Can you get me a bowl of warm water and a soft sponge? And please take Harry's uniform and burn them straight away; they're coated with the creature's poison so don't touch them. Also, please bring him a fresh set of clothes to wear, will you?" asked Daphne.

The elf nodded and followed her orders. The next twenty minutes was spent in silence as Madam Pomfrey worked on Harry, healing him. "He needs rest. I want him to stay in the Hospital Wing for the next two days" she said finally.

Before Harry could open his mouth to protest, Daphne beat him to it. "It will be done". She turned to him and asked, "Would you have let me leave this place if I were this badly injured?" Harry shook his head and lay down on the bed.

After Madam Pomfrey left, Daphne took the sponge and started removing the poison from his skin. After cleaning him off, she touched the new scar on his right forearm. It was a big white circle and she knew it won't go away because of its nature. Scars in the magical world were rare since they could be removed very easily, but those made due to dark magic could not be removed. Harry would have to honour this mark for the rest of his life.

"I know you think you did nothing wrong by going to the chamber alone" said Daphne quietly. "So we can argue about this later. Rest for now, okay? You can tell them what happened down there once you're healed. I'll take care of them for now".

"Thanks Daphne" said Harry as he drifted off to sleep.

Daphne covered his body with a blanket, her eyes lingering for a moment longer at Harry's erection, the bulge still very much visible through his boxers. She blushed, but couldn't help but admire Harry's body. She brushed her hand against his toned bare chest and abs and her blush increased. There was a reason Harry was considered as the best looking boy in the school. She took a deep breath, reinforced her Occlumency and stepped through the privacy curtain when she heard raised voices.

" – I'm sorry headmaster but she's clearly not in a state to answer any of your questions! I've just scanned her and it looks like she's been under the control of a very dark object for an extended period of time. She's hysterical! That's why she fainted when you questioned her. I want her to stay here until I say so, NO EXCEPTIONS!" thundered Madam Pomfrey, looking between Dumbledore and Molly Wealsey, the latter believing in Dumbledore's theory that her daughter was perfectly fine.

"Morons" muttered Daphne.

"Ah, Miss Greengrass" said Dumbledore, looking at Daphne. "I need to talk to Harry immediately" he said firmly.

Daphne shook her head and said "He's so exhausted that he's fast asleep, Headmaster. He said that he would give you an explanation once he has recovered."

"This is a matter of the safety of the school" thundered Dumbledore.

Cyrus Greengrass finally had enough and stepped in; He put an arm around his daughter and snarled "I believe _Lord Potter_ specifically said that the danger of the Chamber of Secrets has passed. Did you not see him when he arrived, Dumbledore? He's in a terrible state! Don't you care about his well-being at all? You can question him _later._ "

Dumbledore furiously swept from the Hospital wing, his loyal deputy at his heels. Madam Pomfrey informed all the petrified victims that they were fine and that they could return to their dormitories, and they all shuffled slowly out of the hospital, while still trying to catch a glimpse of Harry who was behind the screens.

Daphne turned to her parents and said "Mum, Dad, it's after midnight. I'm awake now, so there's nothing more to do here. Thanks for coming for me, I'll be fine. But I need to take care of Harry now. I'll see you soon."

Cyrus and Elizabeth looked at each other and sighed. "Alright Daphne" said her mother. "Let us know of any developments, and keep an eye out for Dumbledore. Cyrus, it might be a good idea to start fishing why the DMLE has been denied this case; it might be worth a look"

Cyrus narrowed his eyes and nodded. The two adults hugged their daughter and disappeared down the hallway. Daphne looked at the empty room and went back to her fiancé. She stood next to him and stroked his handsome face, just as a lone tear flowed down her cheek. She stood there for a minute, contemplating her decision and finally decided to do it. She removed her shoes and got into bed with Harry. Placing her head on his bare chest and putting her arm around his waist, Daphne drifted off to sleep, listening to his heartbeat and breathing in the familiar scent of the boy she loved.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, Harry woke up feeling a weight on his body. He opened his eyes and gaped at the scene in front of him. Daphne was sleeping next to him, with her head on his chest with one arm and leg around him. Heat rushed up to his face and neck, not to mention his morning erection got stiffer as he realised how close they were. He really thought he might freak out, but he didn't. There was something so _right_ about this. He idly pushed strands of dark blonde hair away from her face as he watched her sleep. _She is so beautiful_ , he thought.

After a few minutes, Daphne got up as well. Her eyes slowly drifted open as she heard a whispered "Good morning". She turned to see the smiling face of Harry looking back at her. Daphne blushed at being caught sleeping next to him but decided that since Harry didn't seem to mind, she wouldn't have to explain it to him. Besides, she loved cuddling with him like this. "Good morning. How are you feeling?" she whispered.

"Quite good, actually. Before anyone comes to check up on me, let's talk. How do you think we should proceed? Does Dumbledore know that the creature was a basilisk?" asked Harry.

Daphne slowly shook her head. "Doesn't seem like it" she said. "But he was furious that he couldn't get any information immediately. I'm not sure what he is up to, but we have to tread carefully."

"Agreed" said Harry.

There was silence for a minute until Daphne hesitantly asked, "What happened down there, Harry? Did you actually engage the basilisk? Is it dead?"

Harry flicked his wand to his hand, threw various privacy wards around them and started telling her what had happened in the chamber. After twenty minutes, Daphne's face was pale. "I'm so going to yell at you later" she whispered, breathing heavily.

Daphne turned back and said "You have accomplished something that is amazing, Harry. You killed a seventy-foot long Basilisk to protect the school, and that definitely is an outstanding achievement. We can capitalize on this opportunity. You were massively targeted because of that parselmouth article; you were accused without evidence; you were sent hate mail and howlers too, right? You were shunned by the entire school. I think we should throw it in their faces that you almost died to protect them. The public's perception of you will increase tremendously and show Dumbledore who actually won this round. He'll do his very best to hush this up, and we don't want that. You might even receive an Order of Merlin for this! What do you say?"

Harry stared at the ceiling while his fingers idly stroked Daphne's hair. After a few minutes, he replied saying "I like it. I believe you're right in saying that Dumbledore would want to hush things up. So, we show the Pensieve memory of the event to the entire school in the Great Hall. A few compulsion charms should make the mouthy ones demand to watch the memory. Then I can show them the truth that will change their fundamental perception of the war – Voldemort was a half blood, and my mother was a parselmouth and so was able to save my life. The Order of Merlin is a good idea, but I'll try to move it in the direction so that my mother gets the award posthumously. And explaining how I'm the true Heir of Gryffindor while saying that Voldemort might not be the Heir of Slytherin is too good to pass up. And don't worry, I have a plan to deal with the press" said Harry, grinning darkly.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

They spent the entire day in the Hospital Wing. Harry acted as though he was still unconscious so when Dumbledore came to question him, he was asleep. Later that evening, a reluctant Madam Pomfrey let Harry go to the Great Hall for dinner after he promised that he would come back to the Hospital Wing that night to sleep. As Harry and Daphne entered the Great Hall during dinner, the hall went deathly silent. The two of them, without a care in the world, sat at the very end of the Ravenclaw table and proceeded to eat dinner. They had chosen this particular spot because it was the best spot from where the memory could be shown to everyone.

Then suddenly the questions started.

"Is it true you went into the Chamber of Secrets, Harry?"

"How did you rescue Ginny Weasley?"

"Is it true you like her?"

"How big is the chamber?"

"What's the monster that lives there?"

The questions continued when finally, Daphne released her anger out on them all. "Why should he tell you anything?" she snapped in her cold voice. "After all, all of you branded him as a Dark Lord for almost the entire year and accused him without proof didn't you? What has changed now? Now that he has saved a damsel in distress, he's noble in your eyes again? Many of you, including your families and the general population of this country accused him of murder, sent him mail that said that he should be sentenced to the Dementor's kiss for being the Heir of Slytherin while one recommended the Ministry confiscate his family fortune and expel him from Hogwarts and Great Britain itself! The oldest family in the country to be thrown out of Magical Britain! When all this was going on, did any of you come up to him and tell him that you didn't suspect him of doing it? Did any of the teachers stop the abuse that was rampant around this school? Why would they, when the Headmaster and the Deputy Headmistress themselves didn't care about him or believed him to be innocent? Even though the entire school and country teamed up against him, he didn't say a word. It only took me being attacked and petrified for you all to regain your senses. How many of you tried to apologise to him for treating him the way you did? You might say that he didn't want to speak to you – can you blame him? Would you do so if you were in his place? Without any proof whatsoever, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall had decided that Harry was behind the attacks. Last night, when he came to the hospital wing so badly injured that he couldn't even walk; did they even bother to try to get him medical attention? No, they wanted him to engage them in storytelling. That's the care you all show to your so-called hero who saved you all from Voldemort all those years ago. Or have you all forgotten the fact that he is the Boy Who Lived? Don't any of you ever use your brain? Why would a half-blood, a son of a muggleborn, attack muggleborns? You attacked him, berated him, and now you act as though everything was rosy, and ask him questions and demand that he answer to you? He nearly _died_ to protect this school and its worthless students and staff. So, why should he tell any of you anything while you are all a bunch of ungrateful pigs? He doesn't owe any of you anything" she said. Daphne's eyes were glowing with anger, and her aura was palpable with her magic swirling around her body.

All the people in the Great Hall were staring at her, with their jaws on the floor due to shock at what she had said. Harry then activated the compulsion charm he had cast on Draco Malfoy earlier; he truly loved Mind Magic in that it was so easy to manipulate others. He had cast the compulsion on Draco, but had used Legilimency to dive into his mind, and created a trigger as to when the boy should react. Voldemort and Dumbledore might be very good at the mind arts, but they didn't have the natural talent that Harry possessed.

"But we deserve to know" shouted Draco Malfoy, cutting through the silence. "Or is Potter too much of a coward to tell us what happened down there? It's all a lie, isn't it? He never went down to the Chamber of Secrets in the first place. You and that blood traitor Weasley must have staged the whole thing" he said and laughed.

A few other compulsions activated as well and some of the older years from the other houses started jeering at Harry. A particularly obnoxious older boy in Hufflepuff who had given Harry hell throughout the year said "So, you really are the Heir of Slytherin, aren't you Potter? You staged the whole thing so that no one would suspect you, but we did! You're a murderer and - "

The boy was cut off when he saw a wand pointed right between his eyes, its tip glowing. Daphne Greengrass stood in front of him with a furious expression on her face. "One more word" she whispered angrily "and I'll ensure you'll never speak to anyone ever again. The castration curse ought to make you create a filter between that empty head and filthy mouth of yours". Before she could curse him into next week, the whole hall heard a voice say quietly "Daphne, no. He's not worth it."

Daphne hesitated but returned to her seat next to Harry. All of them in the hall waited with bated breath as Harry slowly got up to face all four houses and the teachers as well. "This has gone on long enough. I may be very patient, but even I've reached the end of my tether. You all want to know what happened down there right? Very well, I'll show you. Toby"

The elf popped into the hall next to him. He idly heard a small shriek from Granger but didn't pay much attention. "Toby could you please bring me my Pensieve? The large one" he said.

Toby snapped his fingers and a Pensieve appeared next to Harry, suspended in thin air. Harry pointed his wand at his temple and pulled out a strand of silvery white substance and put it in the Pensieve. That's when Dumbledore decided to butt in. "No, I forbid this! Mr Potter, let us go to my office. We can discuss what happened there" he said.

Harry shook his head and said "You deliberately accused me of causing those attacks, Headmaster, along with the entire student body and most of the staff. I'm not going to take the attacks on my person and family lying down. If you want to know what happened, this is your only chance. I'm not going to explain myself again nor am I handing you my memory."

Dumbledore looked furious. But before he could object, Harry tapped the various runes on the Pensieve. The device would now work like a projector, showing the three-dimensional view of the incident, along with the sounds. He cast a sonorous charm on it so that everyone could hear it. And so the memory began.

The entire student body and staff of Hogwarts watched Harry enter the bathroom on the first floor and ask Myrtle about her death; him examining the tap and hissing at it in parseltongue. Many gasped at the fact that Harry indeed was a parselmouth, but they were too enthralled in watching the memory to voice out their accusations. They watched Harry request Myrtle to inform the teachers that he might die down there and then jump into the pipe; him proceeding down the stone tunnel; of him illuminating the giant snake skin where many of them gasped; him finding the wall with two serpents and hissing to it for it to open; him walking into the large chamber and telling Ginny Wealsey to wake up; him meeting Tom Riddle; They watched as Riddle explained that he was controlling Ginny Weasley the whole time; about how he got Hagrid expelled and finally he revealed himself as Lord Voldemort.

When Tom Riddle entered the scene, Dumbledore's eyes went wide. He couldn't afford Tom's real nature coming out; then his plan to reform him would be futile. Dumbledore got up and pointed his wand at the Pensieve which was positioned at the other end of the hall, when his wand suddenly went flying from his hand, but landed on the table in front of him. He gasped! The Elder Wand! He turned to find Harry Potter standing near the staff table with his wand in hand. No one else had noticed what the boy had done as they were all too enthralled by the memory. Albus immediately took his wand and felt it. Nothing! The blasted boy had just robbed him of his power by becoming the master of the Elder Wand! What to do?

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 25**

 **"** **That was very good Harry" said Dumbledore. "Now return the artefact to Hogwarts. I'm sure it will make a fine addition on the wall in the Head's office."**

 **AN:** As I've explained to some of you before, it is Daphne who has a temper, not Harry. Harry gets angry too, but he doesn't usually shout, but he talks softly when he's angry. But Daphne can only handle so much until she starts yelling at others and cursing the heck out of them (who can guess what her animagus could be?)

The Elder wand plays an important role in my story, so I had Harry become the master of the wand. Dumbledore is now terrified and angry, but what can he do? It's not like he can attack Harry to get the allegiance of the wand again (he would be literally strangled to death by the public were he to even attempt it). Poor Dumbledore, thinks he can get the sword as well..

Also, did Ginny Wealsey not receive medical attention in canon after she was possessed by a horcrux for an entire year? Damn. And did Harry too not receive medical attention after he was poisoned by a bloody basilisk? Yikes.

Thank you for all your reviews! I appreciate it.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

There were gasps and screams as they realised that it was Voldemort himself who was attacking them. There was complete silence as all of them were in disbelief when Riddle announced that he was a half blood, and a son of a muggle. They watched the scene when Harry started laughing at Riddle for being a half blood. There were many wide eyes in the room when they heard that the Potter family was almost 2500 years old; Draco Malfoy was unable to speak. The school watched Harry say that Riddle could not be the Heir of Slytherin; him explaining about Riddle's psychology about taking revenge on both purebloods and muggles for the way they had treated him; him explaining about the true nature of parseltongue, which was most illuminating to everyone; him telling Riddle about his past home life. There were many gasps and stunned faces as Harry again described his life at the Dursleys; they couldn't imagine ever being treated like that.

Dumbledore and the rest were shocked to stillness when Harry revealed that Lily Potter had been a parselmouth and her creation of a ritual that saved Harry's life and defeated Voldemort. Dumbledore couldn't believe that Lily Potter had hidden such a talent from him, and worse had figured out a way to deflect the killing curse, however obscure it may be.

They all watched with fascination the duel that took place between Harry and Riddle. McGonagall and Dumbledore, both Transfiguration teachers could not help but admire the duel once it shifted to Battle Transfiguration. The fact that a second-year student was able to perform Transfiguration that NEWT students struggled with was staggering. When Harry finally hit Riddle with the daggers, there were cheers, but it was short lived as Riddle boasted that he could not be defeated.

When Riddle mocked Harry for being alone, the entire crowd gasped at once when they saw the majestic thunderbird appear with a flash of lighting and land next to Harry. No one in Britain had seen a thunderbird as they were native to North America, so no one knew much about them. They saw Fawkes, the phoenix arrive with the Sorting Hat. Some of them paled when Harry mentioned the word 'Basilisk'.

When the school population saw the size of the basilisk, many screamed in terror. They watched anxiously as Harry duelled with Riddle as the thunderbird and the phoenix fought the basilisk. They were in awe of Aquila, who flung bolt after bolt of lightning at the massive snake. McGonagall gasped when she saw Harry conjure a rooster since it was high-level transfiguration. Many faces paled as Harry got hit by the blasting curse, and hit the stone statue behind him, leaving a trail of blood on the wall as he crumpled to the ground. Then suddenly, they saw Harry lift the Sorting Hat, and from its depths came a long, ruby encrusted sword. Dumbledore's eyes went wide when he realised what it was; he had read about it and knew that Harry had just pulled the legendary sword of Godric Gryffindor out of the hat. This was not good at all!

When Harry was flung across the chamber when the basilisk's tail hit him, many students screamed. They heard him shout out to his familiar when the thunderbird looked fatigued and watched as he climbed up to the statue. When the basilisk opened its large mouth and struck while at the same time Harry pierced the long sword through the snake's brain, almost the entire hall screamed with fright, while a few of them fainted. Madam Pomfrey slapped her hand to her mouth when she realised that Harry had been poisoned with basilisk venom! The staff and students watched Harry get slowly poisoned; at this point, many of them were openly crying. When Harry stabbed the diary with the fang and Riddle disappeared, people stood up and started applauding and cheering loudly.

Dumbledore's face turned red with anger as many of them started laughing when Harry offered a vacation to Fawkes. There was much awe when Harry interacted with Aquila. Finally, the entire school was stunned into silence when Harry revealed the sword to be that of Godric Gryffindor. When the Sorting Hat explained about Godric's plan in regards to his family fortune and titles, many were staring at Harry with their mouths open in shock when they realised that they were accusing the true, blood Heir of Godric Gryffindor to be the Heir of Slytherin.

Harry took the memory and returned it to his mind. He turned and saw that Toby was still there, so it looked like he'd seen the whole thing. He nodded to the elf who snapped his fingers and disappeared along with the Pensieve.

"I, Hadrian James Potter, do hereby swear on my magic that the contents of my memory I've shown here are indeed true. This I swear, so mote it be!" said Harry quietly. There was a flash of light, signifying the oath taking into effect. The tip of Harry's wand glowed, signifying that he indeed showed them the truth and that had not lost his magic. Dumbledore was white as a sheet.

"Whoever leaked the information about me being a parselmouth was correct" said Harry finally to the silent Great Hall. "I had been hearing voices moving around the castle, talking about killing. But I didn't realise that it was parseltongue as it was a distant echo and I thought I was listening to English. That was how I found Miss Granger and Miss Clearwater that day; I was following that voice, hoping to figure out what creature it was. The creature, as you know, was a Basilisk. It was Daphne who finally figured it out" he said, looking at his fiancée with a smile.

Daphne continued and said "Harry and I had already dismissed the idea of the creature being a basilisk even before the Yule holidays. Basilisks are known to grow up to twenty to thirty feet, so how could such a massive snake move around the castle undetected? I finally stumbled across the answer before I was attacked – pipes."

"Magical buildings don't need plumbing as there are several charms and runes to take care of that. But Hogwarts, as it turns out, does host various pipes leading everywhere. This was how the basilisk moved from one place to another. Another indication that I found were the spiders. Spiders consider the basilisk to be their mortal enemy and flee from it – there are small spiders visible everywhere near windows trying to flee the castle. But what was the final piece of the puzzle was why the victims were petrified and not killed, as a basilisk's stare causes instant death. The answer is because all the victims looked at the reflection of the gaze. That was why they were petrified" she explained.

"I knew I might be a target because of Harry, and in case the Heir found out that I knew about the nature of the creature, I might be killed. That's why I took a mirror and walked carefully outside. My precaution turned out to be warranted, as I saw the reflection of the snake's eyes on my mirror. If not for that, I would be dead."

Harry continued again "I found a crumpled piece of parchment explaining about this in Daphne's curled hand. It was only a couple of hours later that Ginny Weasley was taken into the chamber. The rest of it, you've just watched my memory."

Harry and Daphne stared at the silent hall. The staff was too stunned and Dumbledore was too angry to even appreciate what they had done. Harry shook his head slightly, grabbed Daphne's hand and was about to walk out of the door when Dumbledore spoke up.

"That was very good Harry" said Dumbledore. "Now return the artefact to Hogwarts. I'm sure it will make a fine addition to the wall in the Head's office."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He knew what Dumbledore was talking about, but was he really that stupid? Hogwarts and the families of the Founders were separate entities. Even if he was the Heir of Gryffindor, he did not own the school. The Smiths, who were distant descendants of Helga Hufflepuff did not return any of their artefacts to the school, so why should he? Besides, the sword was Potter family property. No one could take it away from him; not the Hogwarts Headmaster or the Ministry of Magic.

"What are you talking about, Headmaster?" asked Harry calmly.

"The sword, Harry" replied Dumbledore testily. "Gryffindor's sword. It belongs to Hogwarts, so return it."

"What makes you think the sword belongs to Hogwarts?" asked Harry, his eyebrows raised.

But before Dumbledore could say anything, Hermione Granger who was silent this whole time, spoke up. "It says so in Hogwarts: A History that it is Godric Gryffindor's legendary artefact. Since he is one of the school founders, it belongs to the school" she said self-importantly. "So, you should return it to the Headmaster"

Harry snorted and said "Hogwarts: A History is the most biased book I've ever read in my life. If you want facts, Granger, read the Hogwarts By-Laws; they're at least accurate and not speculation. I'm pretty sure as you know Headmaster, the school and the founding families are separate. Just because Godric was one of the founders does not mean that all his assets belong to the school. Going by your logic, then I can safely say as the Heir of one of the Founders, the Potter family can claim ownership of the castle. But that is not true. Just as Hogwarts cannot touch any money, property or artefacts of the founders, we cannot claim ownership of Hogwarts. The sword is the rightful property of the Potter family, and no one can dispute that. If you have any questions about those laws, feel free to ask the Sorting Hat." Saying that, Harry and Daphne left the Great Hall.

Dumbledore stormed out of the Great Hall, furious that his plans for the year had fallen to pieces.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Dumbledore looked again at the destroyed state of his office feeling a sense of déjà vu. How had things got out of hand so easily? Just a month back, things were perfect. Harry was being vilified and targeted by the school as well as the country as a whole. He had expected the boy to come to him for help and guidance after it got worse, but the stubborn brat didn't do it! When Daphne Greengrass was petrified, Lucius Malfoy had one-upped him and suspended him from Hogwarts. HIM! How dare that man try to remove him from his own castle! He would ensure that the first year of Malfoy as one of the governors of Hogwarts turns out to be his last; Albus had limited patience after all.

But the situation now was completely different! Not only had he been suspended, but Harry managed to get into the Chamber of Secrets and kill the basilisk. He had expected them to go together to defeat whatever creature was inside it so that the boy could see how powerful he, Albus Dumbledore really was. But damn that brat! He had gained access to Godric Gryffindor's sword and had slain the basilisk. A basilisk! He, Albus Dumbledore would have been known as the slayer of the basilisk to protect his school, but that title was taken away by the brat! Not only that, he had managed to alert the fact of Tom Riddle being Voldemort to the entire school, and hence as an extension, the country. There would be massive outcry over the revelation. He had to ensure that the newspapers remained silent about this. Besides, there was no way Rita would write anything truthful anyway; she was bound to show Harry in a dark light.

Lily Potter. That name brought Albus's blood pressure to high levels. Oh, how he hated that woman. She had been a parselmouth and had not told him. HIM! He was the Leader of the Light; their protector! How dare she not entrust him with such valuable information. Thinking of Lily made Albus remember another person he hated - James Potter; the snake who hid among the lions. After the attack, he had tried to floo to Potter Manor to take their many books and artefacts that were bound to be in their house, only to be violently thrown back in his office after the wards denied him access. It was then that he realised that James Potter had cut off access to all his properties. Only Harry could access them. He had tried asking Fawkes to take him there, and later to find Harry Potter once the boy had disappeared, but the phoenix had glared at him and disappeared for two months. That incident had shaken Albus so much that he had never involved the phoenix with any of his plots again.

Dumbledore looked at the wand in his hand. The Elder wand felt different now. Oh, it still worked for him, but he didn't think it would have the same potency as it did before. It worked, but at the same time, it didn't. It was hard to describe it himself. He realised that he had acted rashly in trying to destroy the Pensieve; he had lost control. Harry had skilfully used a strong notice-me-not charm and a disillusionment charm to disarm him discreetly. How had he been so stupid as to lose control? There was no flash of light, and the wand fell right in front of him so he couldn't accuse the boy either. Harry would just claim that Dumbledore had just dropped the wand and there were no witnesses either. Besides, who would care about the wand anyway? No one knew it was the fabled Wand of Destiny.

He couldn't use his original wand as the Elder wand tended to absorb the master's old wand. That's why Gellert Grindelwald had been unable to defend himself once Albus had disarmed him (nearly all witches and wizards considered themselves too much of a master to have a secondary wand; not to mention having one was illegal). It was only a few hours later did Albus notice that his old wand had merged with the Elder Wand. Now, there was a problem. Harry was clearly the wand's new master. But since Albus physically had the wand, would it disappear to fully bond with Harry? Or will it stay with Albus until Harry took the wand? He didn't like either of them. If the wand disappeared, he would have to acquire a new wand; that meant revealing to wand makers like Ollivander that he didn't have his old wand anymore and that was unacceptable. The second scenario was Harry fully mastering the wand. That thought made Albus sick in his stomach. Harry's destiny was to die by Voldemort's hand; he couldn't become powerful, even though, thought Albus bitterly, Harry seemed to be very knowledgeable for his age. Just watching Riddle and Harry duel was eye opening to say the least.

Albus Dumbledore was frustrated and at a loss. And he didn't like that feeling one bit. Déjà vu.

Poor Albus, didn't realise that Harry had kept a few pieces of information away not shared it when he showed the memory of the incident in the chamber. Albus had no idea that Harry was the soon-to-be Lord Gryffindor; or that Harry had found out that Tom Riddle had made Horcruxes to secure his immortality.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Rita Skeeter put her parchment down on the table and grinned. This was going to be the best news yet. She had received reports of something which happened at Hogwarts just a few hours ago. Apparently, there was a basilisk attacking the students and the rumour she had heard was that Harry Potter had killed it. Pff, as if a twelve-year-old could do that. She wanted a story and this was it. She had received some information that this article tomorrow would show Harry Potter as the next Dark Lord of the country. She didn't care that she was attacking a mere twelve-year-old boy. He was a celebrity, and she needed more viewers. Besides, nothing bad could happen; the public would hate the boy today and love him tomorrow.

She idly wondered what was up with her boss Barnabus Cuffe lately, and was on her way to her bedroom to retire for the night when she felt something impact her. The next thing she knew, she was sitting in front of a large desk. She tried to get up, but to her shock, he was magically bound and gagged. She struggled but wasn't successful.

"Oh it's no use Rita" said a voice. "You're bound, and trust me, there's no way out. Those wards around you were specifically designed for _bugs._ "

Rita panicked. She tried to transform into her animagus form, but screamed when she felt pain. There was clearly a dark version of the anti-animagus ward around her. The voice chuckled, and she found a person moving away from the shadows. The lighting charms suddenly glowed a bit brighter, bathing the room in dull light. She noticed that she was in a very grand study; whoever had kidnapped her was obviously very wealthy. Who was it?

Just then, the figure moved and sat in the chair opposite to her. Rita's eyes widened when she saw who it was. No. It couldn't be. It was impossible.

Hadrian Potter was sitting in front of her, smirking darkly. He was just a 12-year-old boy! How was he able to breach her wards and kidnap her? And what did he plan to do with her? Oh, when she escaped, she would utterly _destroy_ the boy! How dare he do this to her?

"Oh my, my, aren't we a bit angry?" asked Harry amused.

He pointed his wand at Rita and removed the silencing charm on her. "What do you want, Potter? How did you kidnap me? You better let me go, otherwise by the time I'm done with you . . ." threatened Rita.

Harry turned left and right on his magical swivel chair. "You know" he said. "My fiancée says you should never threaten a Lord in his own castle. Trust me, the last person to do that did not end up well. What to do with you?"

Rita sneered. "As if a _child_ like you can do anything. Go play with your toys, Potter and AAAAAHHH!" screamed Rita. The bones in her hand had exploded. The pain was unbearable.

"The Bone Exploding curse" explained Harry. "A lot more painful and destructive than the standard Bone Breaking curse. Do you like it?" he purred.

Rita whimpered. "What do you want?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Ah, straight to the point, I like that" said Harry. "I want you to work for me."

"I already have a job at - "

" – at the Daily Prophet. Yes, I know" finished Harry. "But what you don't know is this. Read for yourself."

A piece of parchment floated in front of Rita. She read it and her eyes went wide. Another parchment came up and she read that too. Another and then another.

"So as you see" said Harry smirking "I'm effectively your boss. I have to thank you, Rita. This is all because of you. The article you wrote about mine and Daphne's betrothal bothered me. But the next article where you revealed me as a parselmouth is where I decided that I had to act. So, I discreetly took ownership of the Daily Prophet by buying all the shares. I now unilaterally own the company. And tomorrow, it's going to be dissolved. Tomorrow evening, the first ever newspaper of the Magical Daily will be sold, marking the inception of the Magical Daily Press, owned by the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Of course, no one would know that. The public would only be notified about the change in management, nothing more. So again, do you want to work for me?" asked Harry.

"Why do you want me?" asked Rita in a shaky voice. The boy in front of her was no means a child.

"You have talent, Rita, and I respect talented people. While there are other good reporters as well, you are exceptional. What I'm asking you is to work for me, but report the truth. You can use you animagus form to spy on people and weed out corruption. I want to create a magical world worth living in, and that requires a good press. The Magical Daily Press will provide you with all your needs as well as offer you protection; standard contract between employees and the company. I want the country to wake up. There is too much stagnation around us; we need to start anew. No one is willing to shoulder the development of the country, but I am. I will give you exclusive interviews when needed; you'll be a well-known reporter who tells the _truth_ and not a gossip queen who prints lies. Your salary will be hiked as well. What do you say?" asked Harry, his emotionless mask back in place.

Rita thought about it. It was definitely a good offer. She could work under him, but she would leak Potter's plan in the paper later. Before she could even say anything else, a contract appeared in front of her. She read it and paled. "No way, Potter!" she shouted. "This would give you too much control over me!"

"Oh Rita, Rita, Rita" purred Harry as he circled around her. "You are under the impression that you have a choice in the matter. Do you take me for a fool? I know that if you don't sign that contract, you would definitely betray me. Once the contract is signed, there is no going back. It's magically binding. One way or another, you'll work for me. You can either choose the easy way or the hard way."

"Never!" said Rita, determined. Broken bones, was that all the boy could do? Well, she could take it. But Harry came to stand in front of her, his wand raised to her forehead. "Well, this is going to take a bit of creativity, but I'm confident I'll get it right" he said.

" _Legilimens"_

A few hours later, Rita got into her bed. Well, the meeting with her new employer didn't quite go very well, but she managed. He was also not a person to cross as her arm still hurt. He had forbidden from writing anything that wasn't backed up by facts, so she was quite annoyed. At least the perks and salary were nice. And the employer had also given her a new assignment – find everything about the past of Albus Dumbledore. Now, that sounded like a challenge! She couldn't wait to get started. Tomorrow was the grand opening of the new Magical Daily Press where she would be formally employed. Oh well, time to get some sleep.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The students were having breakfast in the Great Hall, many wondering why they didn't get the Daily Prophet when the doors burst open, revealing a furious Lucius Malfoy and his house elf who was bobbing at his feet.

"Good morning Lucius" greeted Dumbledore with a smile.

"So!" he said, strolling forward. "You've come back. The governors decided to suspend you, but you saw fit to return to the school."

"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me a few days ago. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too. . . . Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."

Lucius paled as the students started whispering. Maybe this was a bad idea, he thought.

"And?" he asked. "Have you caught the culprit yet?" No one noticed Harry discreetly call for his elf.

"The same as last time, Lucius" said Dumbledore. "But this time, Voldemort did it by the means of a diary."

"I see . . ." said Lucius, his face red with anger.

Before Dumbledore could say anything more, Lucius heard a voice say "How wonderful it is to see you here, Lord Malfoy. Have you come searching for this?"

Lucius turned to find a smirking Hadrian Potter holding the destroyed diary. His eyes went wide and he paled more as he realised that the diary was supposed to be very precious for his master.

"Why would I want that stupid diary?" snarled Malfoy.

"Oh you don't?" asked Harry acting surprised. "Because one usually gets angry when their property is not with them, as this diary clearly is. Don't you want it back? After all, it was you who gave it to Ginny Weasley in the first place."

"Prove it" hissed Lucius.

Harry laughed loudly. "If I had proof, my dear Lucius, I would have tossed your arse in Azkaban by now. But just because I can't legally convict you, doesn't mean that no one should realise what a psychopath you are. Really, Lucius? Committing genocide in the same school that houses your son? I never thought you were actually such a slime ball. I must confess that I'm disappointed in you."

"Oh Lucius?" said Dumbledore. "Here are the papers for your removal as the governor of Hogwarts. You'll find the signatures of all the remaining eleven of them, along with mine. You miscalculated, my friend. But I'm sure you'll emerge from this debacle a better man" smiled Dumbledore.

Lucius Malfoy's eyes were slits of fury. He turned and said "Come Dobby".

"Oh Lucy!" called out Harry. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Saying that, Harry tossed the diary at the older man.

Lucius caught the diary and found a sock inside it. He was disgusted, so he threw it away. He then threw the book at Harry's feet and said "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Potter. Mark my words."

Harry smirked. "Oh my. Aren't we a bit un-Slytherin today? Threatening the Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House in front of the entire school population? Tsk tsk, you're losing your touch, my dear Lucy" he said mockingly.

Lucius snarled, but Dobby interrupted saying "Master has given Dobby a sock". The elf was in shock as it continued "Master gave it to Dobby."

"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"

"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is free."

Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf. Then he lunged at Harry. "You've lost me my servant, boy!"

But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Hadrian Potter!"

There was a loud bang, and Lucius Malfoy was thrown back to the other end of the hall as he landed in a crumpled heap. He got up and pointed his wand at Harry only for the wand to fly right out of his hand and into Harry's right hand.

"Oh my, you need to refine your skills, Lucy. You're too slow. But then again, considering you're age as compared to mine, I guess I can say I'm not that surprised. Oh, how the mighty Death Eaters have fallen. Your Master would be so proud" Harry said in a mocking voice.

He threw the wand back to Lucius and said "Get out, Malfoy. There is no place at Hogwarts for those who plot its destruction. GET OUT!"

Harry slashed his wand in the air and Lucius Malfoy was thrown backward until he landed outside the great Oak doors of the castle. The students, who had until then had remained silent, stood up and started cheering and applauding. Harry smiled as he walked out of the Great Hall.

After he had left, Dobby popped next to him. "Hadrian Potter freed Dobby. He is the greatest wizard ever!" said Dobby, tears leaking from his large eyes.

Harry smiled at the elf as he remembered his own treatment by the Dursleys. He bent down on one knee and addressed the elf. "Glad I could help Dobby. But I know that being free will cause you a slow and painful death, so I'd like to make a proposition for you" said Harry kindly. "I would like to offer you a bond with the Potter family, Dobby. I promise you will be treated well. What do you say?"

Dobby burst into tears and said "It has always been my dream to work for the great Hadrian Potter sir. Dobby accepts, sir"

There was a light glow for a second and then disappeared. Harry put his hand on Dobby's shoulder and said "Welcome to the family Dobby. Minny!"

Another house elf popped next to them. "What can Minny do for Master Hadrian?" she asked.

"Minny, I've just bonded Dobby to our family. Please take him to Potter Castle and look after him. As you can see, he has a lot of injuries" said Harry.

"Minny is so proud of Master for freeing Dobby from abusive master and to take him in himself! Don't worry Master Hadrian, Minny will take care of Dobby" said the female elf. And with a pop, both elves disappeared.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW TO CHAPTER 26**

 **Harry shed a few more tears as he hugged her closer. He nuzzled his face against hers, and he tenderly and slowly found his way to her lips and kissed her. After a minute of slow kissing, they pulled apart. Harry grabbed her in a tight hug and whispered in her ear "I love you."**

 **AN** : As you can see, Dumbledore and the rest only know that Harry is the Heir of Godric Gryffindor, not that he might be able to claim the Lordship as well. There is a difference between the two. I know that in fanfiction, many writers include Goblins who perform heritage tests which determine if you're related to other families, which is how Harry gets the Lordships of the Founders and the Peverells. But how does that work? Do the Goblins have blood of one's ancestors to trace the bloodline to them? If that were the case, why doesn't everyone try it? It would be a great way to access Lordships of extinct families and their gold as well.

I'm not sure if I'll be doing that, which is why I introduced the concept of family magic. It will be shown in later chapters. It has been seen in fanfiction before, and the idea isn't original, but I hope I can make it better.

I had always wanted Lucius Malfoy to be taken down a peg or two, which is why I created the last scene. Besides, how can I ignore Dobby? The newspaper articles are in the next chapter. Everyone in the magical world is in for a surprise… hehehe…

As for Mind Magic, well, let me clarify that you cannot change one's personality. Mind arts do have limitations. But certain situations can be changed to suit a person's needs. Using Legilimency and dwelling into your victim's subconscious mind and planting various confundus and compulsion charms would be long term, which is what happened in the case of Cuffe and Rita. The rest is done through memory charms and magical contracts. Harry might have been targeted, but he's now going to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. Even if he does, he would remain in control.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

That evening, the newspaper finally arrived. Everyone took their copies eagerly to shout out in surprise. The ever present header of the Daily Prophet was replaced with The British Magical Daily.

 _DAILY PROPHET UNDERGOES CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP;_

 _ABSORBED INTO THE MAGICAL DAILY PRESS_

 _PLEASE WELCOME THE BRITISH MAGICAL DAILY - YOUR NEW NEWSPAPER_

 _NEW MANAGEMENT PROMISES TO DELIVER THE TRUTH, WHATEVER IT TAKES_

 _ALL EMPLOYEES OF THE DAILY PROPHET REAPPOINTED AS EMPLOYEES OF THE MAGICAL DAILY PRESS_

 _QUILL IS MIGHTIER THAN A SWORD– RESPONSIBILITIES OF A JOURNALIST_

 _WHAT AN AVERAGE WITCH AND WIZARD CAN DO TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOCIETY_

 _MAGICAL DAILY PRESS HIRING! CONTACT THEIR OFFICE TODAY!_

People all over the country had their jaws on the floor. What in Merlin's name was going on? The Daily Prophet had changed ownership? If so, then who were the new owners? The paper mentioned everything except the name of the new owners at all. Attempts to find out who they were turned out to be futile. Everything was under the name of the Magical Daily Press which was owned by someone named Frank Olive, and no one knew anything about him.

At the Ministry of Magic, Minister Cornelius Fudge and Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge were spluttering with rage. In Malfoy Manor, a group of wizards tore the newspaper in anger. At Hogwarts, in the Head's office, Dumbledore was close to having a heart attack. Down in the Room of Requirement, Harry and Daphne clinked glasses containing non-alcoholic champagne for a job well done. There were changes taking place in Magical Britain and no one knew who was behind it.

Pretty soon, the end of the year arrived. Because of the attacks that had taken place during the year and how much stress it brought to the entire school, Dumbledore cancelled exams for all students except for the fifth and seventh years. Hagrid was released from Azkaban with a full pardon and was seen crying in the Great Hall with relief.

On the last day of school, everyone boarded the Hogwarts express. Harry was still quite cold towards his peers, but had decided not to do so after the summer; after all, they were sheep and it was that mentality he was trying to break. Besides, he would extract his revenge on them in more creative ways that didn't require him to shout and curse in public; that was Daphne's job. Daphne and Harry were sitting next to each other in a compartment, with her head resting on his shoulder, reading a book. Their friends were sitting in the same compartment, talking to each other and having fun. A few hours into the train ride, Draco Malfoy turned up with his two goons. He entered the compartment, his face furious.

"You'll pay for what you did, Potter" Draco said in a low voice.

Harry and Daphne rolled their eyes. Such a threat was par for the course for Draco Malfoy; he was all bark and no bite. So Harry looked up from his book and smiled at Draco and said "Hello, cousin. Would you like to join us?"

"Don't call me that!" snapped Draco. "As far as I'm considered, you and I are not related even remotely! I will cut you off from the family tree, you filthy half-blood!"

Harry snorted. "Oh, I'm so scared. I really don't care what you do in your home, Draco. I'm only related to you through my grandmother; and as far as I'm concerned, you have absolutely no power over the Black family. In fact, it is my godfather that has the power to disown you and your mother; that would make her a blood traitor. How would you like being compared to the Weasleys?" he asked with a smirk.

Draco's face went red with anger. He drew his wand, but before he could even fully remove it from his robes, Harry had already flicked his, throwing the boys out of the compartment.

"This isn't over Potter!" shouted Draco. "My father will show you why you shouldn't mess with us. He'll strike you where it hurts you the most. By the time this summer is over, you will be a crying baby!" He then walked away.

Harry clenched his fists. Daphne leaned closer and whispered, "That sounds like a threat."

"I agree" he whispered quietly. "Tell your family to be on high alert during the summer. I'll tell the same to Sirius and Aunt Amy. Knowing Lucius, it'll probably be an assassination attempt, especially after the article that is going to be printed soon about him suspected in the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. That should remove his power base in the Ministry."

"Hmm" said Daphne, again leaning her head on Harry's shoulder. "Is the plan for Hawaii still on?" she asked.

"Oh yeah!" he whispered excitedly. "I've wanted to go there for the past four years. And we can argue there as much as we would like; no one to interrupt us."

Daphne snorted. Leave it to Harry not to forget about her telling him that they needed to talk. She really was angry and disturbed at the fact that he was willing to risk his life so easily. Besides, she had spotted a change in him since the Lockhart incident. She did not want him to carry that scar for the rest of his life without a closure.

As they reached King's Cross station, they got down from the train. Harry said goodbye to his friends and portkeyed to Potter Castle. He couldn't wait for tomorrow's edition of the Magical Daily.

He wasn't disappointed. When Harry was having breakfast the next morning, he unfolded the newspaper and smirked.

 _CHAMBER OF SECRETS AT HOGWARTS HOUSED A SEVENTY FOOT LONG BASILISK_

 _BOY WHO LIVED KILLS BASILISK TO DEFEND HOGWARTS USING GRYFFINDOR'S SWORD_

 _HADRIAN POTTER – CONFIRMED HEIR OF GODRIC GRYFFINDOR_

 _NATURE AND HISTORY OF GRYFFINDOR-POTTER FAMILY MERGE EXPLAINED BY THE SORTING HAT_

 _POTTERS CONFIRMED AS THE OLDEST SURVIVING MAGICAL FAMILY IN THE WORLD – NEARLY 2500 YEARS OLD!_

 _LORD VOLDEMORT REVEALED TO BE TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE, A BASTARD SON OF A MUGGLE AND A SQUIB DAUGHTER OF THE HOUSE OF GAUNT_

 _LUCIUS MALFOY SUSPECTED IN FACILITATING THE OPENING OF THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS AND THE ATTEMPTED MASS MURDER OF OUR CHILDREN IN THE PROCESS_

 _LUCIUS MALFOY TRIED TO ATTACK AND CURSE THE BOY WHO LIVED IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE STUDENT POPULATION AT HOGWARTS_

 _SUSPECISIONS CROP UP IN CASE OF MALFOY'S INVOLEVENT WITH THE DEATH EATERS DURING THE WAR; WAS HE TRULY UNDER THE IMPERIUS CURSE AS HE CLAIMED?_

 _LORD MALFOY BOOTED OUT AS ONE OF THE GOVERNORS OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL; FACES INVESTIGATION DUE TO ALLEDGED THREATS GIVEN TO OTHER GOVERNORS_

 _AMELIA BONES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS FORBIDDEN FROM INTERFERING AT HOGWARTS – WHY?_

 _'_ _FUDGE AND UMBRIDGE DIDN'T LET ME DO MY JOB' SAYS AMELIA BONES_

 _IS CORNELIUS FUDGE FIT TO BE OUR MINISTER OF MAGIC?_

 _DOLORES UMBRIDGE'S DISGUSTING BEHAVIOUR IN RELATION TO THE BOY WHO LIVED; WHY DOES SHE SEEM TO UTTERLY HATE HADRIAN POTTER?_

 _WHY DIDN'T DUMBLEDORE ACT WHEN STUDENTS WERE ATTACKED?_

 _WHY WAS A SINGLE STUDENT TARGETTED BY ALL? WHY DIDN'T THE TEACHERS DO ANYTHING?_

 _IS THIS THE WAY WE TREAT THE BOY WHO LIVED? HADRIAN POTTER WAS SENT LETTERS AND HOWLERS TELLING HIM TO KILL HIMSELF_

 _'_ _I FORGIVE ALL THOSE WHO TARGETED ME, BUT I WON'T TAKE SUCH PERSONAL ATTACKS ABOUT MY FAMILY LYING DOWN NEXT TIME' SAYS LORD POTTER_

 _HAGRID DECLARED INNOCENT OF CRIMES! WAS PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED AND THROWN IN AZKABAN WITHOUT TRIAL PERSONALLY BY MINISTER FUDGE!_

 _SECOND YEAR STUDENT DAPHNE GREENGRASS FIGURED OUT THE CREATURE WAS A BASILISK; WHAT WERE THE TEACHERS AND MINISTRY DOING?_

 _HYPOCRISY OF TOM RIDDLE A.K.A LORD VOLDEMORT_

 _LORD VOLDEMORT NOT REALLY THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN AS HE CLAIMED?_

 _WAS SALAZAR SLYTHERIN TRULY EVIL? OR WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE BASILISK TO PROTECT THE STUDENTS AND NOT HARM THEM?_

 _IS THE HISTORY OF THE FOUNDERS OF HOGWARTS FLAWED?_

 _LILY POTTER DEVICED RITUAL TO STOP KILLING CURSE!_

 _DOES LILY POTTER DESERVE ORDER OF MERLIN, FIRST CLASS POSTHUMOUSLY FOR GETTING RID OF THE DARK LORD VOLDEMORT?_

 _LILY AND HADRIAN POTTER CONFIRMED TO BE PARSELMOUTHS!_

 _EVERYTHING WE KNEW ABOUT PARSELMOUTHS A LIE?_

 _HOW HADRIAN POTTER SURVIVED – THE TRUE STORY OF THE BOY WHO LIVED_

 _ALL ABOUT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE'S DISGRACEFUL ACTIONS SINCE 31_ _ST_ _OCTOBER, 1981_

 _IS DUMBLEDORE FIT TO REMAIN AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER?_

 _'_ _I WAS REPEATEDLY TARGETED BY ALBUS DUMBLEDORE FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER' SAYS LORD POTTER_

 _'_ _STAYED SILENT ONLY DUE TO MY GODSON TELLING ME NOT TO REACT' SAYS A FURIOUS LORD BLACK_

 _DUMBLEDORE PERSONALLY TRIED TO DISCREDIT THE BOY WHO LIVED; WHY?_

 _FLAWS IN THE STORY ABOUT THE POTTER ATTACK – DID DUMBLEDORE LIE TO US?_

 _IS DUMBLEDORE GOING SENILE?_

Harry read all the articles and wanted to pat himself on the back for the move he had made in purchasing the Daily Prophet and converting it into the Magical Daily. He had told the staff to report the truth, and so had supplied them with all the information necessary for today's edition. If the country wanted a leader, he would give them one.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy, Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge all let out a primal scream of rage after reading the newspaper.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was a couple of days later that Harry found himself at the International Portkey terminal in London, along with the Greengrasses, Sirius, Amelia, Neville, Susan, Hannah and Tracy for their trip to Hawaii. Harry had extended the invitation to his friends, as they had supported him when he was called the Heir of Slytherin, even if no one listened to them.

International magical travel was a lot quicker than its muggle counterparts. There were both International Floos and International Portkeys. The former worked at short range, so it could not be used for intercontinental travel; so the floo was highly regulated by the magical government by both countries and could be used to travel abroad. There were inter-connecting international floo systems in place for each continent – Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australia.

International Portkeys were used for inter-continental travel or even for travel within the continent. It was personal preference whether one wanted to use the Floo or the Portkey. These too were highly regulated. Open wards were erected around the borders of each country which alerted the respective magical governments if there were any illegal portkey use or Apparition. International travel for magical people was quite frequent, and so there was never a problem of two or more countries attacking each other, as there had always been an international body in existence, keeping peace with the several countries of the world. Besides, even though every witch and wizard in the world today used a wand, each country had their own brand of magic, which the others respected. So, there was never a problem of war, unlike their muggle counterparts. Of course, there had been international incidents like the war brought about by Gellert Grindelwald, but the various magical governments worked together to bring him down, but the Dark wizard had followers from all over the world, because of which he became very powerful. After the implementation of the International Statute of Secrecy, the currency around the world was standardized into Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, minted and regulated by Gringotts International Bank. This further promoted foreign trade and the international market boomed.

"Portkey to Honolulu, Hawaii" said the Ministry portkey regulator. "Registered under Lord Hadrian Potter." The man's eyes went wide when he saw Harry. He stammered and said "R-right this way sir. The portkey will leave in two minutes."

The portkey was a rope, and everyone took hold of it. At the designated time, Harry felt a pull behind his navel as everything started to spin. It was several seconds later that their feet touched the ground. They found themselves in an office where a woman was standing who said "Welcome to Hawaii. Please show us your identification and move on and adhere to the rules set by the Magical government of Hawaii. Please register your wands before you step out. Thank you."

The entire party was checked out and they took another portkey to Harry's beach house. Once they landed, Astoria was the first to react. "This is awesome!" she said.

Harry smiled as he had to concur. The beach house was large and airy. It gave a feeling of paradise and vacation, which was what Harry wanted. He could spot the beach right behind the house. The view was spectacular.

"Alright" said Sirius. "It's nearly five in the evening here. Why don't we unpack and head to the beach? We can look for dinner later."

They all changed and headed for the beach, while Harry and Daphne silently went in the other direction for some privacy. They sat down on the beach and stared at the crystalline water and the waves splashing. After several minutes of silence, Harry asked, "What do you want me to say?"

Daphne snorted. "You don't know what to say?" she replied. "How about you explain to me why you went into the Chamber of Secrets alone, without anyone to help you, knowing the fact that there was a fucking basilisk in there!"

Both teenagers didn't notice that Cyrus and Elizabeth Greengrass were near them, taking a stroll. Cyrus, while he liked Harry, was still not sure how his precious daughter was faring with her fiancé. So he subtly cast an eavesdropping charm near the couple and the two adults listened. They felt bad for invading their privacy, but both Cyrus and Elizabeth wanted to know about the status of the young couple before making their big announcement.

Harry took a deep breath to calm himself and said "What else was I supposed to do? If you don't remember, we had considered that the creature might be a basilisk before the Yule holidays, but we thought it didn't explain the attacks. McGonagall was already treating me like I'm a junior Dark Lord, Dumbledore would have done everything he could have to pin the blame on me, and no one would have believed me! How does one explain that there was a fucking basilisk crawling around the school? No one knew there were pipes in the castle until you discovered it! What was I supposed to do?"

"Still, that doesn't mean you could just go in there alone!" yelled Daphne angrily. "Don't forget that I saw the memory, Harry. You told Myrtle to inform the teachers that in case you didn't return in six hours to tell them that you're probably dead. Do you have such a callous attitude to what happens in case you really had died down there?"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry dangerously, standing up.

"I mean that there are people here who care about you!" shouted Daphne, her eyes blazing with anger as she stood up too. She had bottled things up for too long, and her anger finally found its target. "Did you, even for a second, think about us? Did you think about how Sirius would have felt to know that his godson is dead? Did you think about me?"

"I did it all for you!" shouted Harry, his hair turning white. "Riddle attacked you only because of you being betrothed to me! Did you forget that? If not for you having that mirror, you could have died! It was all because of me. Did you expect me to sit on my arse while the teachers and Ministry did nothing?"

"I can take care of myself" said Daphne. "I'm not an invalid, Harry. While I'm touched that you felt the need to kill the basilisk because it attacked me, you did not have to risk your life for that!" She paused, and looked into his eyes and asked, "Is this about the Dursleys?"

Harry stiffened. "Don't Daphne" he said stiffly. While he had revealed some parts of his time with Vernon and Petunia Dursley, it didn't fully cover the damage done to him by them. He was psychologically damaged and he did not want anyone to point that out to him.

Daphne pursed her lips as she looked back at the waves. Her beautiful dark blonde hair was flying in the wind as she replied, "So, was the incident in the chamber another attempt at suicide, Harry? I thought you said you were past that."

Cyrus and Elizabeth silently gasped and their eyes went wide. Harry's eyes flashed green as he snarled "Daphne . . ."

"I've noticed changes in you Harry" said Daphne, not caring about his anger. "You're quicker to anger, you're more reserved than before, and not to mention colder." She turned to face him and said "We were making progress, Harry. You were on the way to healing from all that went wrong in your life. But one incident ruined all our efforts, whether you admit it or not."

Harry's eyes went wide. He knew what she was talking about and he didn't want to go there. It had plagued his dreams for months, and he did not want to talk about it. "Don't" he whispered.

"Whether you admit it or not, you're a sexually abused victim. The incidents with both Lockhart and your uncle haunt your dreams, am I right?" she asked.

Harry's face was blank and his eyes unfocused. He took a step back from her and said, "Don't go there."

"I cannot do that Harry!" snapped Daphne. "I've tried and tried again after that incident to talk to you but you avoid it! It didn't affect you much immediately as you had other things to worry about, but you never told me about the nightmares did you? I figured it out. It's quite easy to see that you're barely getting any sleep at all, and you've been studying and practicing magic at a rate that might be harmful to you! Once I was petrified, it became worse. Unless you do something about it now, it will grow and contaminate your mind! You're already suicidal!" she shouted.

"I'm not suicidal!" shouted Harry. "I have brains, okay? I didn't go into that chamber only because of you or because no one believed me! I knew this had something to do with Voldemort! So I had to go. I knew I had Aquila with me; you know that he would never abandon me in case of danger!"

"So what if it had something to do with Voldemort?" she snapped. "That was even more a reason why you should have contacted someone else! He is known as the most dangerous Dark Lord in British history for a reason!"

"Have you forgotten about my destiny?" shouted Harry at the top of his voice. His skin was now glowing, and magic was rolling from both teenagers in waves. "There is a fucking prophecy about us, have you that forgotten so soon? If there is something about Voldemort, I have to get involved!"

"Harry, you idiot!" yelled Daphne. "He attacked you only because _he_ believed in the prophecy! You set too much in store by that and call it destiny. Did your mother believe in it? If she had, she would not have performed that ritual that saved your life. If she had believed in the prophecy that said that only you could kill him, how was she able to do it?"

"That's because she didn't!" he said angrily. "That bastard may be disembodied, but he didn't die. I don't believe in Divination either, but as long as Voldemort does, he will come after me, and so will Dumbledore!"

Both Harry and Daphne were breathing heavily now, staring at each other with anger in their eyes. "Alright" said Daphne finally. "Say for the sake of argument we agree that your decision to go into the chamber alone was good judgement on your part. You wanted to kill the basilisk because it tried to kill me. In that case, would you support me if I went up to Dumbledore or Voldemort right now, and challenged them to a duel to the death for all the pain and hardship they caused you?" she asked quietly.

Harry sucked in a breath. He felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. He turned away from his fiancée and sat back down on the sand. There was tense silence for a minute, with neither of them looking at the other. Finally, Daphne kneeled down in front of him. She took Harry's hands in hers and said softly, "Harry, I want to help you. But I can only do that if you talk to me. I beg of you, don't shut me out. I thought we were a team. Please Harry, trust me. We'll get through this together, one step at a time."

Harry looked at the beautiful face of his fiancée as his vision blurred. He hugged Daphne as tears started to flow from his eyes. Sometimes he felt so burdened by all the pressure and felt like he would burst. He felt that he was alone, and always would be alone, and that thought haunted him above all else.

"I'm here Harry" she said softly, kissing his forehead. "I'll always be here, right next to you. We'll get through this together. You're not alone, Harry. I'm with you, always"

"Really?" hiccupped Harry, sounding like a small child.

Daphne cupped his face lovingly and said "Really. I promised you, didn't I? Remember that day when you gave me this ring? I wear this ring all the time to remind myself of how important you are to me and how important I am to you. It represents my promise to you that I'll always be there by your side; whether to hold your hand when you're successful or to pick up the pieces when you have fallen down. I'll always be here."

Harry shed a few more tears as he hugged her closer. He nuzzled his face against hers, and he tenderly and slowly found his way to her lips and kissed her. After a minute of slow kissing, they pulled apart. Harry grabbed her in a tight hug and whispered in her ear "I love you".

Daphne's heart skipped a beat. Did _Harry_ just utter those words? The same boy who had told her that he didn't know what love was? She pulled back, cupped his face and looked deep into his eyes. "I love you too" she whispered as she kissed him again.

Several feet away, Elizabeth Greengrass was silently crying while Cyrus was in shock. The relationship between his daughter and Harry was a lot deeper than he had ever imagined. To think that those two were just budding teenagers and yet acted like an old married couple was astounding. He immediately cancelled the charm and the adult Greengrasses went over to the other side of the beach.

"That poor boy" whispered Elizabeth. "I wish I could do something to help him."

"You are helping him" replied Cyrus. At her dumbfounded expression, he clarified "You're helping him by giving birth to our daughter all those years ago."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm so proud of her"

"Me too" said Cyrus. "Clearly Harry has a lot of secrets, that prophecy for example which troubles me, but what I'm very happy about is that he trusts her with his secrets. From what I could make out, they don't tend to keep secrets from each other."

Elizabeth nodded. "I guess it helps that they were friends before they became a couple. I expected you to make a bigger fuss about them kissing."

Cyrus sighed. "They're betrothed and thirteen and clearly it isn't their first time kissing each other. Besides, I like Harry. And after listening to what we just did, do you think I can bring myself to give him the talk about not hurting my daughter? You heard them – they just declared their love for each other!"

"Just make sure that you don't treat him with pity" warned Elizabeth. "Daphne told me about that long ago. It seems he hates it when he is pitied for what all went wrong in his life. We don't want him to grow distant from us, do we?"

"Understood" replied her husband.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry and Daphne had their first snogging session, and it was a very happy couple that came back to the house. Harry even laughed along with the rest as Sirius attempted to prank everyone in the house; Neville's tail was especially funny.

They had dinner on the beach, overlooking the sunset. Suddenly, Sirius got up and pulled Amelia up with him. "Attention everyone" he said. The group turned to look at him confused. "Amelia and I have an announcement to make".

"We do?" asked Amelia, confused.

"I hope so" said Sirius grinning.

He removed a small velvet box from the inside of his pocket and got down on one knee. The girls all gasped and squealed (except Daphne, of course. She believed that she could never make such noises in her life, something which Harry was trying to disprove).

"Amelia Susan Bones" said Sirius. "We have known each other since school. I remember you cuffing me on the head as a first year telling me to behave; I remember you telling me that you would never go out with me because you thought I was an immature jerk – a total coincidence that Lily had said the same to James on countless occasions until they started dating; I remember you chasing me around the castle after I sneaked into the Hufflepuff dorms to steal your bra and - "

"We don't need to reveal that part" said Amelia, blushing.

"Anyway, I have loved you more than anyone in the world. Would you do me the honour of being my wife? Will you marry me?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a ring. It had a large diamond, with emeralds surrounding it.

Amelia had a small smile as she said, "I must be crazy, but my answer is yes. I will marry you"

As everyone started clapping and whistling, Sirius put the ring on Amelia's finger. They all congratulated the newly engaged couple, just as Sirius said, "Cyrus, didn't you say you had something important to announce?"

"I think it can wait" said Elizabeth. "After all, you just proposed. Whatever it is, we can say it later." Her husband nodded behind her.

"Nonsense" said Amelia smirking slightly. "I'm pretty sure what it is you're going to announce too. I'm not the head of the DMLE for nothing."

Elizabeth snorted and smiled. "What is it, mum?" asked Astoria.

"Well" said Elizabeth. She took a deep breath, held her husband's hand for support and announced, "I'm pregnant! And the healer says it's a boy this time."

Harry's eyes went wide and his face paled. His grip on Daphne's hand slackened, and it fell limply by his side. He was happy for Cyrus and Elizabeth, he truly was. He started into the distance, his face blank as he realised that the marriage contract between him and Daphne would soon be declared void since she would not be the heiress anymore. The contract was very specific in that it would only be initiated if either family did not have a male heir, and the heiress would have to marry into the other family. Since the contract was initiated and then voided, it didn't affect any future generations, so that was a relief. But he was going to lose Daphne; he was sure of it. Why would she stay with him? He was damaged, while she was whole. He didn't deserve someone like her. Voldemort only targeted her because of him. This was probably for the best. Daphne would not be in any more danger because of him. There was a sharp pain in his chest as he idly wondered how he was going to get over the pain of losing Daphne. The very thought of her leaving him was much worse than all of Uncle Vernon's beatings put together. But he had to stay strong. She would be much happier with someone who deserved her and Daphne's happiness was more important than his own.

Harry never noticed someone looking at him with narrowed eyes.

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 27**

 **Harry didn't have the patience to deal with this. He was running out of time. He pointed his thunderbird feather wand at Vernon and said "** ** _Imperio."_**

 **AN** : Well, here we are! I had promised a fight scene between Harry and Daphne and this was it! As for the newspaper, this is just the beginning. Harry's enemies are soon going to realize that they just don't stand a chance against him, as he's going to conquer them one by one. And he'll do it without them even knowing that he is the one behind it.

As you can see, Harry isn't going to let things go regarding his school mates who attempted to torment him; I say attempted because even though many of them tried to curse him, none of them worked as Harry defended himself every time. Now, coming to the last part where Harry is in a funk. He is an abused child, and abused children don't just turn out to be perfect members of the society. Harry has problems, and Daphne is trying to help him deal with them.

Harry also has insecurity issues, which will be sorted out very soon. Daphne will not leave him or anything like that, but Harry feels that he isn't worthy of her affection. Again, this mentality of his is passed over from his time at the Dursleys. This chapter is emotional, I know, but I wanted to show Harry and Daphne getting closer and understanding each other better.

Please let me know what you think!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

It was eleven in the night. A tall boy was sitting on the couch in the living room of a beach house. Harry sat there with a stony expression on his face as the wind blew in his face as he stared into the dark waters in the distance. His eyes were red and puffy and he was emotionally exhausted and couldn't go to sleep.

Suddenly, he sensed a person behind him. But this presence was very familiar to him so he didn't react when he heard a voice say, "Back to square one, are we?"

"What are you doing out here?" asked Harry quietly. "It's very late. You should be in bed."

"So should you" replied Daphne as she took the seat next to him.

"This place really is beautiful isn't it?" she asked, after several minutes.

"Uh huh" said Harry.

"I told you that I wouldn't leave you" she said quietly, without preamble.

"I believe you" said Harry.

"Liar"

Harry sat quietly, not meeting her eyes.

Daphne sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. Harry slowly sneaked his arm around her waist as she snuggled deeper into him. "How did you know?" asked Harry.

"I know how you think" replied Daphne. "You might have the entire world fooled, but you can't fool me; I'm the one who spends nearly everyday with you so I can accurately judge your emotions. Harry - " she said and closed her eyes. "Please, don't for a second think the contract being voided would have any change in our relationship. I already told you that I won't leave you. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

Harry remained quiet. "Look, Harry" she said finally. "This has to end. Tell me right now if you either trust me or you don't. Do you trust me to stay with you to the end? Do you believe me when I say that I love you?"

"I do, but - "

" – but you think you don't deserve love, don't you?" snapped Daphne. "You do deserve love, Harry. Allow me to show you that you are indeed worthy of being loved by others. Don't be so pessimistic all the time, Harry. You have come so far in life. You're an International Duelling Champion; you're an outstanding student; you're incredibly powerful for your age; you work hard and strive to be the best, and this has resulted in you learning so much that you could beat NEWT students with ease. You killed a seventy-foot long basilisk and defeated Tom Riddle in a duel. Anyone else would have crumbled into a heap after everything you've gone through, but you always rise again like a phoenix, more determined than ever each time. Please don't let your bad experiences before affect the wonderful boy you have turned out to be. I love you, Harry, please don't ever forget that. You deserve to be loved and adored by people around you. I'll always be by your side" she said softly but firmly.

"If I feel that I don't deserve love, you can always feed me a love potion" said Harry with a small smile on his face. "Get it?"

Daphne snorted and buried her face in his chest. "That was worse than the last one!" she whined.

Harry chuckled. "Thanks, Daphne. I don't know what I'd ever do without you" he said softly.

"You'll never, ever have to find out" was the reply. "I hope such thoughts never arise in your mind again. Will they?"

"No" said Harry firmly, hugging her tightly, and breathing in the familiar scent of his fiancée. "They won't. I love you too, Daphne. And you're right. The contract being voided has nothing to do with us. You're still my fiancée and nothing can change that."

"Good" said Daphne, leaning up to kiss him softly. They remained there for the rest of the night, tangled in each other's arms.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The vacation after that went smoothly. They spent the next few days visiting the various magical places of interest in Hawaii. The place had a rich magical culture, and they went to a luau where Harry and Daphne danced and laughed with their friends and family and had a very good time. Slowly, Harry felt all the tension melt away as he repeatedly got an authentic Hawaiian massage. It really helped him, along with splashing each other as he and his friends played in the water. Fawkes and Aquila had turned up too, and the local magical population loved to have the two birds there, and Harry was sure that Aquila for one was having a blast. Daphne too was taken with Fawkes and she spent a long time with the phoenix, while many beautiful witches of various countries petted him and fed him fruits. Needless to say, Fawkes was delighted to receive such admiration and attention from others and not be stuck with a lemon drop addicted old man. The rest of the group and the local magical community and tourists were in awe of meeting the massive thunderbird and many of them went forward to touch his feathers, just to ensure that their eyes were not deceiving them.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"May I ask what you're doing?" asked Amelia coldly, looking at her new fiancé.

Sirius snapped his head the other way from where he had been ogling at the beautiful woman playing on the beach. His eyes widened when he saw Amelia looking at him with a furious expression on her face. Oh oh, he was in trouble!

"I can explain" he said hastily.

"I better hope so" growled Amelia. "Or I'll give you a chase worse than the one I did in my seventh year when you stole my bra and panties. I'm sure you remember the wide variety of curses I used on you that day; and trust me, my knowledge in spells have improved drastically since the time I was seventeen."

Sirius swallowed. He remembered that alright. Just then, Amelia removed the robe that was covering her body, letting Sirius see her bathing suit. All thought vanished from the dog's mind as he stared unashamed at his fiancee's body. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Amelia discreetly draw her wand. Suddenly, Sirius found himself hoisted up by his ankles, with him handing upside down.

"AAAHHHHH!" he screamed in shock. But with another flick of her wand, he was banished into the water. Spluttering, he resurfaced to see an amused expression on Amelia's face.

"That's how the Head of the DMLE handles it" said Amelia, gripping Sirius's collar. "You won't do that again, will you, you mangy dog?"

"Oh" replied Sirius dreamly. "You're playing the domineering Auror; Kinky. Do I get spankings as well?"

Amelia looked at Sirius seriously for a few seconds but burst out laughing. "Somethings never change" she said, kissing him. Sirius was only too happy to reciprocate.

"Just remember what happened to James when he was ogling at other naked women. Lily sure found the perfect punishment" whispered Amelia.

Sirius's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't!" he spluttered. Amelia smirked and said "Good luck sleeping alone, Sirius. Let's see how long your doggy mind can handle that."

"Oh no" whispered Sirius, his face paling, as Amelia laughed herself sick. Oh, how she loved to prank him!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"He's amazing" said Cyrus Greengrass, looking at Aquila interacting with many others in the magical locality of Hawaii. The thunderbird was currently, much to Harry's amusement, playing a game of catch with others who were on broomsticks. Fawkes was content with flirting with as many witches as possible. Neville, Astoria and Susan were on brooms, playing as well. Daphne, Tracy and Hannah had gone shopping along with Elizabeth, so they weren't there. Harry was sitting on the beach, amusing himself with watching Amelia prank Sirius repeatedly. He was pretty soon joined by his soon to be father-in-law.

"He really is" replied Harry fondly.

"I wanted to talk to you Harry" began Cyrus. He was a bit nervous, as he had no intention to hurt Harry's feelings, but he and Elizabeth had observed Harry a few days ago. Needless to say, they were devastated that they had caused more despair to their daughter's fiance.

"Sure Cyrus" said Harry confused.

"I would like to apologise" he began "for the way Elizabeth and I broke the news of her pregnancy. It was inappropriate and we didn't account for your feelings on the matter. We were really upset after we saw the expression on your face once we announced it, and we immediately realised that we should have been more tactful."

Harry's face burned with embarrassment. Here was a man who was apologising for something that wasn't his fault at all. The man should have been celebrating the fact that his wife was pregnant, but instead, he was apologising to his future son-in-law for having a child. Harry felt really guilty at the moment. "Cyrus, I –"

"We didn't try for a baby with the intention of breaking you and Daphne apart" said Cyrus softly. "Don't get me wrong Harry, but I still felt very guilty because of that marriage contract. I didn't know whether you both would be happy together. So instead of both of you being stuck in a loveless marriage, we tried to void it by the only way possible. But please don't think that I don't approve of you. You're our future son-in-law, and over the past two years, I've really grown to like you and so has my wife. We couldn't have asked for anyone better for Daphne, as you're an amazing young boy. All we were trying to do was protect our daughter, nothing more. I'm more than happy if you continue to be engaged to Daphne. You're already part of the family, Harry, and nothing can change that. Okay?"

Harry smiled widely at his father-in-law. "You have nothing to apologise for, Cyrus. Don't worry about me. Yes, I was caught off guard and I wondered if Daphne would still want to be with me, but she straightened me out. It was my fault; not yours, so please don't feel guilty. Congratulations on the pregnancy. It was never my intention to make you doubt your decision. As you said, you were only looking out for your daughter. And I'm honoured that you consider me family because I do too. Thank you Cyrus" he said sincerely.

Cyrus smiled and hugged Harry, kissing him on the head. He hoped that he could develop a true friendship with the young boy, as he really liked the kid. He was glad that the situation was sorted out; Elizabeth would be relieved, as she was feeling incredibly guilty over the whole affair.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"Underwater expedition?" asked Harry to the saleswoman.

"Yeah" she replied. "Gillyweed lasts for an hour and is easier than using a bubble head charm; Thirty galleons for your entire group, a bargain."

"Deal" said Harry, as he purchased them.

It turned out to be the best purchase Harry had ever made. The underwater scenery was breath-taking. They swam underwater for an hour before making it back to the beach. Just as Daphne was getting out of the water, someone pulled her back and pushed her back in. Spluttering, she resurfaced to see a grinning face of her fiancée.

"Oh this is war, Potter" she snarled. "Once I'm done with you, you'll realize the might of Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass."

What followed was a battle of splashing each other and laughing. Harry didn't know when he had so much fun in his life, but he was certainly enjoying himself. It was four days later that the exhausted, tanned group made their way to the International Portkey Terminal and found themselves back in London. After that, they went home to recover from their vacation.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The Lord's study in Potter Castle was dim, with the lighting charms at minimum and a fire burning brightly in the fireplace. Hadrian Potter was sitting at the centre of the room, on a luxurious carpet, in a meditative state. He was looking for the memories that had come to him when he was in the Chamber of Secrets. He wanted to know what a Horcrux was and where to find those devices. He dwelled into his mind, and found a memory.

 _He was standing in a classroom with Professor Slughorn and hesitantly asked while trying to hide his excitement. "Sir, I was wondering what you know about . . . Horcruxes?"_

 _Slughorn raised his eyebrows and asked "Defence Against the Dark Arts project?"_

 _He knew that the Potions master did not believe in that, of course. So he carefully flattered the man, without overdoing it._

 _"_ _Well," said Slughorn, not looking at him, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystalized pineapple, "well, it can't hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul."_

 _"_ _I don't quite understand how that works, though, sir," he replied in a curious tone._

 _"_ _Well, you split your soul, you see," said Slughorn, "and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form . . ."_

 _He didn't care about any of that. He wanted to be immortal, and this was the perfect way to do it._

 _"_ _How do you split your soul?" he asked the Professor._

 _"_ _Well," said Slughorn uncomfortably, "you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature."_

 _"_ _But how do you do it?"_

 _"_ _By an act of evil — the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: He would encase the torn portion —"_

 _"_ _Encase? But how — ?"_

 _"_ _There is a spell, do not ask me, I don't know!" said Slughorn, shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by mosquitoes. "Do I look as though I have tried it — do I look like a killer?"_

 _He immediately backtracked. "No, sir, of course not," he said quickly. "I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to offend . . ."_

 _"_ _Not at all, not at all, not offended," said Slughorn gruffly. "It's natural to feel some curiosity about these things. . . . Wizards of a certain caliber have always been drawn to that aspect of magic. . . ."_

 _"_ _Yes, sir," he said. "What I don't understand, though — just out of curiosity — I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven — ?"_

 _"_ _Merlin's beard, Tom!" yelped Slughorn. "Seven! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case . . . bad enough to divide the soul . . . but to rip it into seven pieces . . ."_

 _He then paused. Maybe asking that last question wasn't a good idea as Slughorn looked deeply troubled. Had he pushed it too far? Should he try to modify Slughorn's memory? No, the man was well versed at Occlumency, so it wouldn't do him any good. After that, he pacified Slughorn, leaving the room with brimming happiness. He had finally found the perfect way to secure his immortality. He now had to go through the book he had found on the subject in the Library and attempt it. He, Lord Voldemort, would be the greatest wizard the world had ever seen!_

Harry exited the memory with a gasp. So that's what a Horcrux is. He couldn't believe that Tom Riddle had been so desperate for immortality that he had been willing to split his soul not once, but seven times! It made him sick.

Suddenly, his face went pale as realization struck him like a ton of bricks. "Tippy" he called quietly.

The female elf popped in front of him and smiled. "What can Tippy do for Master Hadrian?"

"Tippy, do you remember the day Aquila rescued me and brought me here to Potter Castle?" he whispered.

The elf's ears went limp. "Tippy remembers" she said morosely. "Master was badly injured."

Harry continued in the same flat voice as he asked, "Tippy, did my scar house a piece of _Voldemort's soul_?"

Tippy burst into tears as she nodded. "Is it still there?" whispered Harry.

"Oh no, Master Hadrian" said the elf, looking up and smiling again. "Several elves used elvin magic and forced it out. Then Master's thunderbird destroyed it using lightning as it not have place to stay."

Harry sighed in relief. That explained him getting Voldemort's memories. Something must have happened during the ritual which made him gain the man's memories in his subconscious mind. He thanked the elf and went back to his meditative state. He found a few more memories.

 _He remembered the dead body of Myrtle Warren. He had ordered the basilisk to kill the girl, so she was technically murdered by his hand. He looked at the small diary in front of him and many other ingredients which surrounded him. A glass of potion, which was pitch black was sitting on a table. He took it and drank, and then pointed his wand at the diary and said the spell. Pain. It was more pain than he had ever imagined! Had something gone wrong? Just as he felt like he couldn't tolerate the pain anymore, it stopped. He opened his eyes to look at the diary, which was glowing. He smiled widely. He was just sixteen, but he had done it. He had finally created his first Horcrux!_

 _His filthy muggle father. How dare the man leave his mother and reject him before he was even born? The muggle needed to be taught a lesson. Oh, how he loved killing his so called father and grandparents. Now, their deaths would be used to create his second horcrux. The big black and gold ring lay in front of him. He drank the potion and pointed the wand at the ring. Pain. The ring glowed._

 _How stupid of the ghost, and she actually was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw herself! While he immensely respected Rowena for her sheer intelligence, he couldn't help but look down at her daughter. She had just handed over her mother's diadem to him. He had killed a muggle prostitute who he had slept with the previous night; really that was all those muggles were worth for. He looked at the diadem in front of him. He drank the potion and pointed the wand at it. Pain. The diadem glowed._

 _That stupid woman. How dare she insult his mother? Not that he cared at all about his mother, but it was the principle of the thing! And she possessed Salazar Slytherin's locket! It rightfully belonged to him, the descendant of Slytherin. He had killed her and he looked at the golden cup in front of him. Hufflepuff's chalice. He drank the potion and pointed the wand at it. Pain. The cup glowed._

 _What a worthless family. He had just eliminated almost the entire Bones family. Could they even call themselves an Ancient house, with their manor so horribly protected? Unfortunately, he couldn't get one brother and sister. But he wasn't worried. He would get them all soon enough. Amelia Bones had become a nuisance, along with Sirius Black, James Potter and his mudblood wife, Lily. Really, the Potters should know not to interfere with his business. Getting rid of Charlus and Dorea Potter had been expensive, but the deaths of all those Death Eaters had been worth it. He looked at the locket in front of him – Salazar's locket. He eagerly drank the potion and pointed his wand at the locket. The pain was a lot lesser than before. The locket glowed._

Harry gasped and pulled back. He had just gained memories of what Voldemort's Horcruxes were, along with their locations and some of their defences. He was grim, as he thought about the defences. They were not easy.

The diary had been given to Lucius Malfoy for safe keeping and to later use it to open the Chamber of Secrets. The ring had been buried under a mountain of wards, including a horrible curse on the ring itself in the Gaunt shack. Ravenclaw's diadem was the easiest of all; it was in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. Hufflepuff's cup was in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts. And finally, the locket was present in a cave, with some dark and nasty defences.

If Harry had been a Gryffindor, he would have rushed off to the places to find the Horcruxes. But he wasn't. Harry was a Ravenclaw. He was smart to realise that he needed more information. So he got up and climbed up the stairs and entered the Potter Library.

The library at Potter Castle was enormous. There were bookshelves covering three floors and comfortable tables and chairs occupied the ground floor. He quickly made his way to the third floor, and into a place that was highly restricted by the family. He placed his ring on the big, oak door. The door flashed and a plate of several runes appeared in front of him. Harry calmly tapped the various runes and entered the required password by disabling the wards around the room. The door then took a small blood sample and finally the door opened.

Harry had never been inside this room. This room was built to house the worst books ever created on magic. They were indeed the deepest of the dark arts. Harry took a deep breath and started searching. He went over to the directory book and tapped it with his wand. Suddenly, several books appeared in front of him. He levitated them to a table and sat down. He looked at the books and realised that they were all about Horcruxes. With a grim smile, he opened. They were all in ancient Greek, so he used advanced translation charms on them so that he could understand what was written.

Half an hour later, Harry was near the window on the other side of the room as he felt sick just by looking at the book. He couldn't believe that Riddle had actually made not one, but five of these devices! The procedure was disgusting! He made his way back to the table and continued reading the oldest of the old books. He doubted the book he was reading was even present in the Hogwarts library, while he knew that the Secrets of the Darkest Art was the book from which Voldemort had gained his knowledge.

 _The container of the soul piece is what makes a Horcrux. The Horcrux cannot survive without its container. So, ensure that your container is very well protected._

 _There are only a few ways of destroying a Horcrux – Basilisk venom, Fiendfyre, the Dementor's kiss and the Avada Kedavra curse._

 _Creating a Horcrux does not diminish one's magical power. Indeed, the devices are all linked together, so theoretically the magical power would remain with the person. But in case the Horcrux is destroyed, there is a possibility that your magical power may diminish, but there is no way to be sure as no one has created more than one Horcrux, and it is inadvisable to do so._

 _There is no other way to destroy a Horcrux other than by destroying the vessel._

Harry looked up with a grim look on his face. Now he understood Dumbledore's motivation of trying to keep him under control. The old goat was going to sacrifice him on the altar of the Greater Good. He probably believed that Harry was a Horcrux, and only through his death could Voldemort be truly killed. There was no way was he going to be made a martyr. Besides, the old man had discounted elf magic and so had this book which was also written by a wizard; his faithful elves had ejected the soul piece. The soul piece was nearly destroyed and when Aquila hit it with a bolt of lightning, it was completely obliterated.

He waved his hand and the books went back to their original shelves. He slowly walked out of the room and reset the wards – no one could enter without the authorization of the Lord and Lady Potter. He went back down to the library and sat down in a plush armchair. What to do?

He knew of the defences of the Horcruxes. Could he risk going there now to try to retrieve it? He wouldn't be able to do it after school started, and it would be difficult to get away during the Yule Holidays. So there was no choice. He had to start now.

Where to start first? He concentrated on the protections around the ring and the locket. He would go after the ring first. There was absolutely no way he could go after the locket alone. He was thinking about the horrible potion in the cave when he suddenly looked up and laughed. "That is perfect" said Harry to himself.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The town of Little Hangleton was small, with poor houses, a graveyard and a large empty manor on top of a hill. The manor had been empty ever since the Riddles had been murdered. Harry Apparated silently near a clearing and began walking. After walking for nearly a kilometre, he stopped. There seemed to be a thick jungle in front of him. He closed his eyes and activated his mage sight. This had taken a lot of practice over the last five years, but he had managed to learn it. He went over to a tree and started touching it. He felt like it shouldn't belong there. Sure enough, there were intent based wards around the place, along with strong notice me not wards. They were good, but it was clearly made by an eighteen-year-old Tom Riddle; his inexperience showed.

Harry touched the bark with his hand and moved around. Finally, he found what he was looking for. He flicked his left hand, and his thunderbird feather wand sailed to his hand. He touched the bark and muttered in parseltongue, and the forest disappeared. Instead, he saw a dusty road, and a shack several meters ahead.

Harry paused. This was where the next defences began. He took one step further and several long, poisonous snakes started coming out of the bushes, with their hoods raised, and hissing angrily.

" _Halt!"_ hissed Harry in parseltongue. " _It is I, Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin. I command you to let me pass to the ancestral home of my family."_

For a second, Harry thought it had worked. But unfortunately, it didn't. The snakes hissed angrily and said " _You, speaker, are not our master! You will be killed for entering this place. Get ready to die."_

 _I've faced snakes worse than you_ , thought Harry. He reached for his belt and pulled out a big ruby encrusted sword from within a bag's depths. The snakes hissed and charged, but Harry sliced them off with several strokes of his sword. He knew the snakes were a result of dark magic, so unless he used the killing curse or cast Fiendfyre or something similar, it was difficult to kill them. But luckily, the magic of the Sword of Gryffindor, along with the basilisk venom in it turned out to be quite effective as the snakes all lay on the ground, dead.

Harry walked further along the path. Right when he was able to reach the shack, it disappeared. He grunted with annoyance as he reached out into the air, as if searching for something. After two minutes, he found it. It felt like a lever, so he pulled it and said " _I Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, command you to reveal the ancestral house of my ancestors"._ Harry was glad that Riddle had used parselmagic, as without parseltongue, bringing down the wards would have been quite difficult indeed.

Suddenly, the Gaunt shack appeared. Harry rolled his eyes. The man was obsessed with being Salazar's heir; no wonder Riddle had been so angry when Harry said that he might not be so. He stood in front of the door and frowned as he sensed a dark curse. After a couple of seconds, he waved his wand and the door vanished. He entered the place and crinkled his nose. For someone who grew up with the Dursleyes who were neat freaks, and later in an enormous castle, this place was terrible to look at. He extended his senses and found a dark magic concentration under the floor. So he pointed his wand at the floor and thought " _Reducto"_

A red beam of light left his wand and impacted the floor. Dust covered the shack, and once it cleared, Harry saw a ring on a pedestal. _Okay, just pick it up, put it on. That would be the best decision of your life. Come on, put it on . . ._

Harry's hand was an inch away from the ring when he yelped and pulled it back. The compulsion! He reinforced his Occlumency shields, took the sword and stabbed the ring with it. There was a wailing and screeching noise as the Horcrux was destroyed. Harry immediately levitated the ring into his Mokeskin pouch and left the shack. He walked fast and once he reached the Apparition point, he breathed a sigh of relief. The defences weren't much, but if he had not been prepared, he very well could have died within seconds; the curse on the ring would have seen to that. He turned on the spot and Disapparated back to Potter Castle with a silent crack.

Harry entered his study and went to a blank section of the wall, deep inside. He flashed his ring and muttered a password, just as another set of runes appeared on the wall. He gave several set of passwords by pressing the different runes, and finally, after the Lord's ring authorization, a door materialised. He went inside. The small, hidden vault was filled with several instruments and treasures belonging to the Potter family. He placed the ring and Gryffindor's sword there and got out of the high security safe.

He looked at the time on his watch and realised that it was still 7 PM. He had time to get the locket as well. Harry walked down to the dungeons, muttering passwords in parseltongue as he went along. As he finally reached the door, he flicked his fingers and the door opened with a bang.

Harry slowly entered the place and looked at the thin forms of Vernon, Petunia and Marge Dursley. They didn't look like they were only skin and bones; no, they looked okay, even if somewhat weak. Harry had told his house elves to give them food, just not good food. The isolation was enough punishment for them.

"Get up" he said in a cold voice to Vernon Dursley.

"Why?" asked Vernon, trying to sound brave.

Harry didn't have the patience to deal with this. He was running out of time. He pointed his thunderbird feather wand at Vernon and said " _Imperio"_

The Imperius Curse really was an unforgivable because it was highly difficult to detect it. There were various degrees of which the curse could be used. The passive degree connected the curse to the victim's subconscious mind, and it was this form that was long lasting, not to mention could be cast only by those who are competent. In such a case, the victim didn't know that he was under the curse, as he went about doing his daily business, and others found it hard to detect too. The active degree was temporary, and the victim was in full control of the caster, and this was simpler to detect by others. Harry used the latter on Vernon as he only wanted the man following his orders for a few hours.

"What did you do to him?" asked Petunia fearfully.

Harry smirked. "Nothing much. Just fired a curse at him that would make him follow any orders I give him without question" he replied. "It's actually very much illegal all over the world, but I need him like this. Say goodbye to your husband, Petunia"

He left the room with his uncle, not listening to the screams and wails of his aunt. They left the castle grounds, and Harry took his uncle's hand and Apparated.

When Harry opened his eyes, the smell of salty water greeted him. Waves were hitting the cliff where they were standing. He turned to Vernon and said, "We'll have to swim to that cliff. Don't drown. I need you."

Vernon nodded and they took the plunge. Harry activated a heating charm to keep himself warm as they swam to their destination. Once they arrived, Harry waved his wand over himself as his clothes and body began drying at a fast rate. He rolled his eyes at his uncle shivering, and pointed his wand at the man and fired drying charms.

He then looked at the entrance of the cave. There was a magical barrier here; he just had to find it. He walked to the back of the cave and concentrated. "This is the place" he said to himself, aloud. "This is the antechamber."

"It wants payment" he said again, frowning. After another minute of examining it, he found it. Harry snorted. How typical of Voldemort to think giving blood would stop a person from entering. It was so simple to heal wounds with magic. He waved his hand over his palm and a gash appeared. He let the drops of blood fall on the stone and suddenly, an entrance materialised. He waved his wand again, and the gash disappeared.

"How did you do that?" asked Vernon, mystified.

"Magic; or in your words, freakishness. Just shut up and follow me" snapped Harry.

Vernon's mouth snapped shut as they entered the cave. An eerie sight met their eyes: They were standing on the edge of a great black lake, so vast that Harry could not make out the distant banks, in a cavern so high that the ceiling too was out of sight. A misty greenish light shone far away in what looked like the middle of the lake; it was reflected in the completely still water below. The greenish glow and the light from Harry's wand were the only things that broke the otherwise velvety blackness, though their rays did not penetrate as far as Harry would have expected. The darkness was somehow denser than normal darkness.

"Don't touch the water" warned Harry to his uncle and started walking.

After walking for a minute, they stopped. Harry narrowed his eyes as he felt the air above him. He suddenly felt something in the air, and after searching for something, he found what he was looking for and he held on to it. With his wand in his left hand, he tapped his wand at his right palm, and suddenly thick coppery green chains extended into Harry's hand. Harry tapped the chain with his wand, and the chains pulled a boat from under the water.

Vernon gaped at Harry performing magic that was surely very advanced. Before he could say anything, Harry's control over his mind came back to the front, as Vernon seamlessly stepped into the boat. Harry carefully stepped in as well and tapped the boat with his wand. The boat started moving. He didn't want to look into the water, or what was more likely a potion similar to water. He knew what he would see and he didn't like it one bit.

But Vernon had so such warning. He looked at a body in the water and screamed. "T-there is a b-body in there" he stammered.

"I know" replied Harry. "There are several of them in there. So make sure you don't touch the water".

Once they reached the island, they got down. Harry looked down at the basin with the bright green potion with a grim expression. He knew what it was. He had looked it up in the Potter library while researching about Horcruxes. It was the Curse of Living Nightmares. It wasn't really a curse, more of a potion. But it was so bad that they named it a curse to drink.

Harry pointed his wand at Vernon and bound the man with ropes and made him sit on the ground. "I'm going to feed you a potion, and you're going to drink it" he ordered.

He conjured a crystal goblet and plunged it into the basin. He then took it and fed it to his uncle. His uncle started screaming "No! Don't. I can't do this! No. Stay away from me!" he shouted.

Harry smirked. "Welcome to my life, Uncle Vernon" he whispered, and force fed the potion to him. He found a locket at the basin after it was empty. It didn't resemble Salazar's, so he opened it to find a note.

 _To the Dark Lord_

 _I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more._

 _R.A.B_

"Great" said Harry. "Absolutely great. Come on, you big lump. We're leaving".

He levitated Vernon to the boat and he stepped in as well. But once he reached the other side, he knew something was wrong. It looked like even if Voldemort came here, he always sacrificed a person who drank the potion. So this time, when the water was not disturbed and there was no one to drag into the water, the Inferi knew that something was wrong. They slowly rose from the water, crawling towards Harry and Vernon.

Vernon screamed, but Harry remained calm. He took his wand and rotated it around his head in long gestures, and finally, there was a ring of fire that burst from his wand, that surrounded the Inferi. The corpses realised that they could not win, and so returned to their place underwater. Harry extinguished the fire, levitated Vernon out of the cave, and Disapparated back to Potter Castle.

He had failed in acquiring the locket Horcrux.

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 28**

 **Suddenly, there was thunderous applause. Harry bowed to them and stepped down from the stage. He mentally smiled. He had planted the seeds. Now all he had to do was let it grow.**

 **AN** : I would like to thank Xypher1 for providing me with the idea for Fawkes appearing in Hawaii during their vacation and the interaction between Sirius and Amelia. I would like to mention that no way in hell will Harry and Daphne ever be separated; this is for those who asked me if that's going to happen.

As for Elizabeth Greengrass being pregnant, this really doesn't affect Harry and Daphne much except for the contract which actually focused more on the monetary aspects of the respective families rather than the boy and girl (which was the reason the contract existed in the first place). Before, they were forced to get married to each other, but now, they'll still get married, but more because of their love for each other rather than some external force. I know that with most Harry/Daphne stories, the contract is used; and this is what I had originally planned. They would meet due to the contract, but even if it is voided, nothing changes. They still get married.

I know that the cave scene for the locket followed a lot of canon, but nothing can be done about that. It has been given about the locket's protections and I had no wish to change it.

The vacation I had shown is another step in Harry and Daphne's relationship. Harry realized in the hospital wing that he had fallen in love with Daphne (cliché, I know), but he had never told it to her. This creates a solid base for them both, which will seal their relationship better than any contract. As for Harry being insecure, he's only thirteen! Give him a break! How long did you date someone when you were at that age? Hormones and teenage years people!

Hope you liked it! Please review!


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Harry's bad mood vanished the next day when he saw the headlines in the Magical Daily.

 _LILY POTTER TO RECEIVE ORDER OF MERLIN, FIRST CLASS POSTHUMOUSLY FOR DEFEATING THE DARK LORD TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE A.K.A LORD VOLDEMORT_

 _AWARD TO BE ACCEPTED BY HER SON LORD HADRIAN JAMES POTTER_

Sirius had told him that he was rallying support for this, and it looked like it had worked. Harry smirked, wondering how the blood purists would react to this. Lily Potter was clearly the bane of their existence for getting rid of their precious master and was now being presented the Order of Merlin, First Class, twelve years after her death.

Harry dressed for the day, morphed into a man who looked to be in his twenties and went over to the fireplace in the Entrance Hall and said "Diagon Alley". After a flash of green flames, he was transported to the alley. He seamlessly walked to Gringotts, and was ushered into Lord Rangok's office. Inside, he saw the old goblin, along with a woman sitting who appeared to be in her thirties. He morphed back to his original appearance and stepped inside.

"Greetings, Lord Rangok" said Harry, giving the old Goblin a warrior style salute.

The old goblin grinned and said "Greetings to you as well, Lord Potter. Allow me to introduce to you Mrs Serena Miller, the proprietor of Miller's Magical Mirrors"

Harry went over to her, took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "It's my pleasure to meet you, Mrs Miller" he said, in a dignified voice.

The woman smiled and said "The pleasure is mine, Lord Potter. I am happy to finally meet you."

"To business" she said, as she removed her bag. "I would like to thank you for your investment, Lord Potter. I never thought my communication mirrors would be that profitable, as floos have been in existence for much longer and there are owls for delivering messages without the need of knowing the address, but your advice for new products gave me a boost. Let me demonstrate" she said while handing three mirrors, one each for herself, Harry and Rangok.

"An initialisation process has to be done for each mirror so that it can be personalised for each person. Once done, I can call out your name in case I need to contact you, and it would immediately reach you through an array of charms, runes and specially designed spells which I invented myself. Watch" she said and demonstrated by saying "Hadrian Potter"

Immediately, Harry felt his mirror heat up a bit and he heard the words again, coming from his mirror. He activated it by just waving his hand in front of the mirror. He then saw Mrs Miller's face in the mirror.

"Now for the improvements" she said. "Lord Rangok". Rangok soon got the message on his mirror, and she waved her hand over the mirror. All three of them found themselves able to see the other two in the mirror.

"Ingenious. You're clearly exceptional" said Harry, his eyebrows raised. "This is much better than the version of your mirrors I currently have."

"Indeed" said Rangok, examining the mirror.

Mrs Miller went pick from the praise she received, but she said, "I have more."

She removed a large mirror from the bag and placed it on the floor. She tapped it and it levitated itself to a few feet above the ground. She then took out a tiny crystal from a velvet box and suspended it in mid-air. She tapped the large mirror, and later the crystal. There was a glow between the two, and suddenly, the office was visible in the mirror. Mrs Miller conjured a ball, tapped it with her wand and then the crystal. The ball was now visible in the mirror. She levitated the wand all over the office, and the moving ball could be seen clearly in the mirror as the crystal followed it around everywhere.

"You were actually able to make my idea work?" asked Harry surprised.

"Indeed" replied Mrs Miller with a smile. "I must say I never would have thought of this myself. Quidditch matches would be a lot better with these around"

"You've charmed the crystals like how you would charm a golden snitch; similar, but at the same time it is different" observed Harry.

"Precisely" she remarked.

"You know" said Harry, thinking. "We have wards that act like sensors. But none of them provide a visual. If these can be integrated into warding systems, it could revolutionise the way intruders can be detected".

Rangok's eyes went wide. "I think that's a brilliant idea" he said. "Do these mirrors and crystals have a recording feature?"

Mrs Miller smiled and nodded. "They do. When you told me it was primarily for Quidditch matches, I wanted people to watch them from home as well as watch it later at their leisure. So the mirrors have a recording feature. It can be used to pause and go back to the time index required" she explained.

"Mrs Miller" said Rangok sharply. "Are you interested in a joint venture with Gringotts International Bank?"

Harry laughed. "Brilliant" he whispered. "Good idea, Lord Rangok" he said, addressing the aged Goblin.

Rangok gave Harry and sharp grin, when Mrs Miller looked dumbfounded and asked, "May I ask for what?"

"To create a new system of wards" explained Rangok. "As you know, Goblins not only undertake banking, but also warding. We have entire teams of warders and curse breakers all over the world. This new visual type of wards have not been developed anywhere in the world; all our advanced wards are very effective, but they're sensors and audio monitors. Most thieves aren't stupid enough to talk during their break in. This type of visual wards would have prevented the break-in that happened here two years go, or at least let us know of their identity."

Mrs Miller was gaping at Rangok. But she recovered and said, "Thank you for your opportunity, Lord Rangok. I'll be sure to think about it and consider it."

Harry smiled. This was so accelerating! This was only the beginning of removing the stagnation that permeated Magical Britain and he getting more gold was an added bonus.

"There is more" revealed the woman, much to the shock of Harry and Rangok.

She took her small mirror, showed it to them. There was a message there asking if it wanted to pair. She went over the large mirror and did the same. Suddenly, whatever was appearing on her small mirror appeared in the large mirror as well.

"I can control the actions of the large mirror using my handheld ones" she explained. "Then there is this". She pressed a few runes on the mirror which appeared on it and said "To Lord Hadrian Potter, we have a meeting scheduled on the first of July, 1993 at Gringotts. By Mrs Serena Miller. Send"

A few seconds later, Harry's mirror heated up again, and saw the message appearing. He could view the audio version, the video version or just the text. It was sheer brilliance. She then removed another small mirror, and tapped it. Suddenly, the large mirror activated, and in it, they could see Mrs Miller reading out the day's news. Harry only smiled when he realised that it was the day when the paper had announced him killing the basilisk.

He grinned when he realised where she had gotten the idea. "You've incorporated it from the muggle television, haven't you?" he asked, amused.

While Harry did not like using muggle technology, he had to grudgingly appreciate some of their inventions, the television for example. While there was no shortage of entertainment in the magical world, people had to go to a certain place for it, like an opera house or a theatre. But magical technology such as this mirror could boost the industry as well. The magical world, unlike what some muggleborns claimed, was not stuck in the dark ages. In fact, they were on a completely different level as compared to the muggles. While the muggles were still looking for different stars and planets in the galaxy, witches and wizards had an entire model of the galaxy being sold in a shop. Medicine in the magical world was incredibly advanced as compared to muggle medical technology. Telephones were not necessary as the floo system was more than capable of communication, but there were limitations with it, which could be solved by these mirrors. Transport of goods and people nationally and internationally also was not a problem as there were portkeys and floos for that as well, which would do the job in seconds. He scoffed when some people claimed that muggles were better than magical races. He knew what went on in the muggle world of course, and there was no way muggles were better than them.

Mrs Miller's cheeks went pink. "Well, sort of. As you can see, I don't need to use wires or electricity to power it. The mirrors are all inter-connected. If they need to watch the news, they have to open the required channel, which until then isn't connected. What do you think?" she asked.

"I think this is the best investment I've ever made" breathed Harry, looking at the mirror. "Mrs Miller, you've just started an industry that would give rise to plenty of other industries in the process. You have no idea how big this could become" he said. "Have you patented it?"

"Yes, Lord Potter" answered Rangok. "It has been done for all her inventions".

"What about international branches?" he asked, grinning at the slack-jawed expression on the inventor's face.

Rangok looked at his notes. "I believe we can start branches in Paris, Berlin and New York City, while we are currently looking at places in China, India and Japan as well" he said.

Mrs Miller sat down in shock. "You want to move international?" she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Serena was a muggleborn. When she had received her Hogwarts letter, her parents and siblings hadn't been happy at all. They had called her a freak and had kicked her out of the house. She had been devastated, but went to Hogwarts anyway. There she had been sorted into Hufflepuff and made lots of friends. Her best friend had been a half blood boy, Chris Miller. When she was dreading to go back home after school ended, he helped her. When Mrs Miller, Chris's mother, a muggleborn herself took her to Serena's home, her parents had yelled at them and told them to never come back. Her parents had later moved away, so as to cut off all communication with their estranged daughter. Serena had been devastated. Chris's parents took her in and looked after her. She came to regard them as her own parents.

She and Chris got married after leaving Hogwarts. But tragedy struck as the Death Eaters killed her husband and in-laws when she was away one night. She had been inconsolable. She was alone, as her family was killed. She couldn't return to the muggle world as she didn't belong there, but the magical world was not safe either. She disappeared for a few months, hoping everything would settle down. Thankfully, it did. Harry Potter had saved them all.

She had been working in the Ministry in the Obliviation squad as they needed them at the point. But she didn't want to work there forever. Her dream was to be an enchantress. She was highly gifted in the field, and so wanted to make her dream a reality. She had created mirrors that would be able to communicate with each other, but she didn't know if they were going to be a success because such technology was already present due to the Floo network. But she finally decided to try. So three years ago, she had quit her job at the Ministry, and had opened her own business. The business wasn't very profitable, but luckily it didn't go into losses either.

But more than a year ago, she had been contacted by the Director of Gringotts Bank, London. Lord Rangok informed her that Lord Hadrian Potter, the Boy Who Lived, wanted to invest a hundred thousand Galleons, perhaps more if she could enhance the mirrors and create other useful gadgets with them.

Since she didn't have a family, she was quite free to do anything with her time. So she had spent every spare moment on those devices. And now, not only was Lord Potter happy and impressed, Lord Rangok was too, and they were planning on moving international. Her biggest dream was about to be fulfilled.

Serena Miller regained control of her emotions and asked, "Are you sure, Lord Potter? What if these items don't sell?"

"Oh they will be a success" said a grinning Harry. "I'm sure the Boy Who Lived endorsing them will make people flock to your store."

Mrs Miller just nodded. She couldn't believe that Harry was willing to do that! "We can start with the London branch first. Once they have been received well by the public we can open the shops in Paris, Berlin and New York City" she said.

Both of them thanked Lord Rangok for his time and left the building. Serena wanted to show Harry her shop. They went in, and Harry called for his elves. Immediately, ten elves popped in.

"What can we do for Master Hadrian?" they chorused.

Harry smiled, amused. "Alright guys. I want this entire shop renovated. Enlarge it, decorate it, and create spaces to store and sell in a way that would be best for a business. Use your best judgement for the design. I don't want to go to a wizard architect as I'm sure you'll do a marvellous job" he said.

The elves nodded, delighted. Harry smiled at Serena and said "Mrs Miller, trust me. By the time those elves are done, you'll have the best shop in all of Diagon Alley."

Serena choked up and said "Thank you, Lord Potter, for everything. I have nothing in my life. My family is dead. I don't have children. My business was the only thing that I had, and you're taking it to great heights. Thank you".

Harry smiled, bent down in front of the crying woman, took her hands in his and said, "Mrs Miller, I know what it is like to not have a family. But just because you don't have biological children don't mean you can't have adopted children. Think back to your childhood; there are so many muggleborns in muggle orphanages, being treated horribly. Why don't you adopt a magical child from there? It's not difficult to check if the children are muggle or magical. You can save someone's life as well as fill the void in your life".

Serena looked at the boy kneeling in front of him. She idly caressed his hair and said "You're such a good boy. Your parents would be proud of you. I think I'll take your advice."

Harry smiled. He had used Legilimency on her and had found out that she had suffered a lot in her life. He knew that she didn't care much about money, only her dream of being an enchantress. Her story pulled his heartstrings, and suddenly, this business venture became a lot more personal. Here was a woman who had suffered from both muggles as well as Death Eaters, because of which she was alone. He would do his best to take care of her and bring some joy in her life.

He got up and gave her a tender hug. "You can call me Harry" he said to her.

"Call me Serena" she said, smiling and returning the hug.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The Order of Merlin was the highest civilian award given to any witch or wizard who was a citizen of the British Isles. There were of three forms- First Class, Second Class and Third Class. To award one to a person, it needed Wizengamot approval. It was then presented to the awardee by the Minister of Magic.

It was a warm evening on the second of July, 1993. Reporters were gathered in the Atrium of the Ministry along with Wizengamot members, some Ministry employees, important witches and wizards, and of course, a portion of the public. Today, Lily Potter was going to be awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class posthumously. There were some protests from the pureblood fanatics because of Lily Potter's blood status, but it was never voiced out loud. After all, it was dangerous to say anything in public against the woman who defeated Voldemort, and thus was loved by the public along with her war hero husband and her son who was the Boy Who Lived.

Harry was wearing his best robes of black and red for the occasion. He was present in the Atrium, with Daphne next to him, socialising with many people who were present there. Dinner was arranged, and once it was done, Minister Fudge stepped up to the stage. Fudge had taken a beating for the Chamber of Secrets fiasco, so he was doing his best to get that credibility back at this event. When he cleared his throat, the noise died down, as the crowd waited for him to speak.

"Twelve years ago" he began. "We were in a state of war. There was confusion everywhere. You Know Who and his band of mercenaries were wreaking havoc all over the country, and there was mass killing and terror. When he came to the house of the Potters on 31st October, 1981, he was defeated. Lord James and Lady Lily Potter were killed, but their infant son, Hadrian Potter survived. He is the only one to have ever survived the killing curse; the Boy Who Lived" said Fudge.

"Recently, it has come to the attention of the Ministry, that the late Lady Lily Potter devised a method to save her infant son's life; this lead to her defeating You Know Who. Her son, Lord Hadrian Potter has now recently saved the students of Hogwarts by killing a basilisk that was terrorising the school. Clearly, the Potter family has done the country and its people a great service. Therefore, I, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic of Magical Britain and Ireland, by the power bestowed upon me by the Wizengamot, posthumously award the late Lady Lily Potter with the Order of Merlin, First Class" he announced.

There was thunderous applause as Harry stepped onto the stage. He smiled and shook hands with the Minister as the cameras flashed. A witch came forward carrying a medallion. It was gold, with a silver band. Harry bowed as the Minister placed the band and medallion around his neck. His smile widened as a large shield, with two wands crossed at the centre, proudly displayed his mother's name below the golden letters signifying the Order of Merlin, First Class.

Harry cleared his throat, signifying that he was about to make a speech. The stage was charmed so that his voice was magically enhanced and could be heard all over the Atrium. He internally smiled as he saw Serena Miller in the crowd, with a small crystal suspended in mid-air next to her. She winked at Harry signifying that she was ready.

"I would like to start by thanking the Minster of Magic Cornelius Fudge, the Chief Witch Lady Acton and the august body of the Wizengamot for presenting my mother with his prestigious award" began Harry. The crowd listened in rapt attention as Harry had never before given a public interview or speech.

"As an orphan, I don't know much about my parents. What I do know, I only gathered after talking to my godfather and after reading their journals; but it wasn't the same. I wish I had known them, but that can be said to many of those who lost their families in the war due to Tom Riddle" said Harry. He purposely called the man Riddle and not Voldemort.

"The war took many lives of so many talented witches and wizards. As the Minister said, there was rash muggle killing, it was difficult to maintain the International Statute of Secrecy while at the same time capture the Death Eaters. My mother knew that my life was in danger. Like any other concerned mother, she took action, even though she knew that she had to die in order for me to live. She gave up her life so that her son could live; so that we could all live."

Harry looked at them all and said "Her actions ended the war. But why is that stagnation still permeates the country? Tom Riddle killed so many talented witches and wizards. He didn't care about our world, he only cared about himself. It has been twelve years, so why haven't we risen yet? We still shudder when we hear a made up name made by a delusional teenager that had daddy issues. We are magical beings! We are better than that! We have survived so much and have risen to form the best society there could be! Why should we let the fear of that man torment us even now? I say enough! We need to wake up. Magical communities around the world are thriving and we used to contribute to the international society. What happened to us? We need to get back up!"

"Remember all those who died in the war. Remember their sacrifice so that you can help create a better magical society today. Let their deaths not be in vain by us not improving our beloved magical world. Remember them, and let us rise again. Remember those times, so that someone else like Tom Riddle can never come back to kill us all again. Let us get back up!" he said, finishing his speech with silence.

Suddenly, there was thunderous applause. Harry bowed to them and stepped down from the stage. He mentally smiled. He had planted the seeds. Now all he had to do was let it grow.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Diagon Alley was buzzing with activity. One shop in particular, caught everyone's attention. The place looked full. It was Miller's Magical Mirrors. Many people stepped inside to see what it was about and were stunned by their discovery.

Shelves of different types of mirrors could be seen. They were not for vanity, no. They had different purposes. There were communication mirrors which could be used to send messages or used to call others. There were other large mirrors which could be used to watch the news or Quidditch matches. It seems the Magical Daily Press had teamed up with Miller and the news could now be seen on the mirrors. Advertisements of the Quidditch teams Montrose Magpies and Puddlemere United could be seen on the mirrors as well. It was said that the mirrors were going to be used in the next matches and they were going to be recorded and could be watched while staying at home. There were many other features which people were interested in. Hadrian Potter receiving the Order of Merlin on behest of his mother and his speech later was also shown on several of the large mirrors. Many of the customers were buying the products excitedly.

Harry exited the shop with a small smirk on his disguised face.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was a few days later that there was a breaking news on the large mirror which had been installed in Harry's master bedroom.

The reporter said " _There has been a shocking report from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Death Eater and mass murderer Peter Pettigrew has escaped from Azkaban. It is unknown how he escaped, but the general consensus is that he might have used his animagus form, which is a rat to escape. But considering that the Ministry was aware of the fact, we are not sure how Pettigrew could have escaped the fortress that was considered escape proof"_

 _"_ _Peter Pettigrew was convicted and sentenced to life in Azkaban two years ago for betraying the Potter family to the Dark Wizard Tom Marvolo Riddle, which lead to the murder of James and Lily Potter and for the attempted murder of the Boy Who Lived, Lord Hadrian Potter. Lord Sirius Black was then sent to Azkaban on false charges, but was released two years ago after finally receiving a trial"_

 _"_ _There has been no further report from the Ministry of Magic concerning the escape, but it is advised by the population to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity. If you spot Pettigrew, call the Auror office immediately. This is Steve Green, reporting for the Magical Daily News"_

Harry couldn't believe it. Pettigrew had escaped? What was the rat planning on doing? He stood up and started pacing. The only options that he thought were that the rat was either coming to kill him or find Voldemort. Option two wasn't appealing at all. So far, he had destroyed only two Horcruxes while three more remained. He had to get them too. But he needed Sirius's help for that, and there was the problem.

Harry didn't know if he could confide in Sirius and Amelia with something so delicate. He needed Sirius to gain access to Bellatrix's vault. He had also researched who R. A.B could be and had come to only one suspect – Sirius's brother, Regulus Arcturus Black. He didn't know how Regulus had known about the Horcrux, but he was never going to find out unless he spoke to Sirius. After a few more minutes, he decided that he would wait for a while. If he could accomplish it without involving Sirius and Amelia he was all for it. If he needed them, he would tell them during the Yule holidays.

The next morning, the Magical Daily came as usual.

 _PETER PETTIGREW ESCAPES AZKABAN_

 _MINISTER FUDGE DEPLOYS DEMENTORS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY AND AT HOGWARTS_

 _PETTIGREW IS SUSPECTED TO TARGET THE BOY WHO LIVED_

Dementors? Harry's eyes went wide at reading that. He hated those things with a passion, as he truly believed they were incredibly dangerous. He did not want to be defenceless if he ever faced one. It looked like he had to master the Patronus Charm.

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 29**

 **"** **Congratulations, Lord Potter-Gryffindor" said the portrait of Charlus Potter, beaming with pride at his grandson. "So, anything you can tell us?"**

 **The other portraits listened eagerly. Harry smiled and said, "Well, it looks like Salazar wasn't the only one to have a secret chamber at Hogwarts"**

 **AN:** As you can see, this is the reason I decided that Hermione can't be Harry's friend. This Harry grew up in the magical world as well, and knows its history. He has had horrible experience with all muggles when he was growing up. Yes, he hates them, but he doesn't become another Voldemort beant on world domination and destruction. He just doesn't like dealing with muggles and believes that magical races are superior. And again, he has a soft soft for muggleborns as well. To those who ask me if Harry is dark, NO. He is grey. He will not turn into another Voldemort.

The mirrors which are being sold are going to play a vital role in the future. That's why I've stressed on it. I've mentioned in Chapter 15 about Harry telling Rangok to invest in Serena Miller's business.

I received a couple of hate reviews, and one of them was quite bad. My reply to you is that if you don't like my story, don't read it. I accept it when people criticize my story as the ones I've received are constructive criticism. But any hate reviews and bashing – you'll only get deleted. So to that person who wasted their time and effort in calling me names, please, tell it to someone who cares.

As for the Hallows, yes, they will play a vital role in my story. But not just yet as Harry doesn't know that he is the master of the elder wand, nor does he know about the Resurrection stone. As far as he is concerned, it is a fairy tale. The cloak was passed down from the Peverells, which he is aware of. But only in the future will he realise what they truly are.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

" _Expecto Patronum"_ he said. A white mist formed from his wand but disappeared quickly. Next to him, Daphne repeated the same but wasn't successful either.

"I have never struggled to learn a spell, ever" said Harry irritably, taking a seat.

"I have to agree it is quite hard" replied Daphne, sitting opposite to him.

They had both started practicing the Patronus charm, but it was proving to be exceptionally difficult. The charm needed a happy memory, but no matter how much Harry tried, he just couldn't get it. They had been trying for a month now, with no success. Nothing much had happened during the month. A manhunt was organised to track down Pettigrew. The sensors around Britain were tightened so that he could not leave the country. So far, there was no luck in finding him.

"It's so frustrating!" yelled Harry. "I have some happy memories. Why can't I do it?"

They both sat quietly for several minutes, when Daphne spoke out saying, "What if we are looking at this the wrong way? What if the happy memory alone isn't enough? What if there is the emotional component that is required?"

Harry sat up straight. "Just like how the Unforgivable curses need emotion to power them?" he asked.

"Exactly" replied Daphne. "Let's give it a try"

Harry closed his eyes and thought back to when he was happiest, but unfortunately, it was proving to be very difficult. He had spent a whole month on this spell! How could he not get it right? He opened his eyes out of frustration and looked at Daphne. She had her eyes closed and was meditating.

His happiest memories had been with Daphne. She was the bright spot in his life; the one who was always there for him and loved him. Sirius and Amelia cared about him too; his devoted elves who loved him always, without a cause. And finally, his beloved thunderbird familiar, his brother. He always had Aquila. He let the emotions of happiness and love he had for them fill him up. Daphne, Aquila, Sirius, Amelia, and others – he loved them all. He thought about his parents; how much his dad loved him. How his mother used to tease his father by calling him the most whipped dad on the planet, looking at the way James would shamelessly play with Harry for the baby's amusement in the weirdest ways. His mother hadn't been anything less. He thought about all the love they had showered on him when he was just a baby. Tears leaked from his eyes as he thought about them all as he whispered " _Expecto Patronum"_

Something large and silvery shot out of his wand. It wasn't defined, so Harry pumped in more emotion into the spell. He thought about the moment when Daphne had given him the photo album, their first kiss –

The silvery mass expanded. A beak showed up, followed by a face and neck, wings, more wings, a tail and finally another pair of wings. His Patronus was a Thunderbird.

"Aquila" whispered Harry, his voice thick with emotion.

"He's beautiful" said Daphne, coming to stand beside him.

The large thunderbird Patronus came forward for Harry to touch it. Harry extended his hand and touched its neck. It stood more than twelve feet in height, towering over them. Harry could feel happiness and love radiating from it. The touch felt so different, as if he was connecting to his soul. After several seconds, it disappeared.

"What's the secret?" asked Daphne.

Harry breathed deeply to get his voice under control. "You were right. It needs powerful emotions to power it. You need to feel the happiness and love, only then would you be able to create a fully corporeal Patronus. You might want to take your time, though. Let the emotions fill you" he said in a shaky voice.

Daphne nodded and thought about it. Harry watched as her face slowly flushed. A large smile formed on her face, just as a lone tear slipped down her cheek. After more than two minutes, she whispered " _Expecto Patronum"_

A silvery mass erupted from her wand as well. Daphne opened her eyes and concentrated. Nearly a minute later, after great effort, it started changing. Giant paws started forming, along with a tail. A body soon took shape, and finally, a face appeared as well. It too was large, more than six feet in height. It had spots on its body, along with an inflamed neck. Daphne's Patronus was a Nundu.

Daphne extended her hand, and the big cat came forward to touch it. A silvery tongue licked her fingers and Daphne giggled. She petted it until it disappeared.

"Your Patronus is a nundu" whispered Harry, astonished.

Nundu, while considered by many as the most dangerous magical creature in existence, wasn't labelled as a dark creature, unlike the basilisk or a dementor. Nundus preferred to stay isolated, and not interact much. There had been rare instances where the big cats had not harmed witches and wizards at all, even though they were highly destructive. So the magical governments gave explicit instructions to its citizens to avoid the deadly cat as much as possible. It was decided to leave the creatures in their natural habitat and not disturb them. In fact, just like how dragons were sacred to the Chinese, snakes were sacred to Indians, Nundus were sacred to many magical African tribes. They were deadly, cunning, intelligent and silent. They attacked only when provoked or for prey, otherwise were known to be peaceful and people avoided them at all costs just by their reputation alone. It was quite fitting that it was Daphne's Patronus.

"I can't believe it" she said. "I never expected it to be something so powerful. I guess Ollivander was right."

"Ollivander?" asked Harry sharply. "What did he say?"

"My wand is Aspen and Dragon Heartstring" explained Daphne. "He explained that it was a powerful and deadly combination. It seems Aspen wands create fine duellists, not to mention an affinity for charms. He also said that those who truly mastered Aspen wands turned out to be revolutionaries, so he said I would do great things in the future."

Harry looked at his wand and said, "My wand is Yew and Nundu heartstring". Daphne's head snapped up. "Yes, nundu; that's why I was surprised to find out that your Patronus was one as well. Ollivander said the same to me; that I would do great things in life. Let's not prove him wrong."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

A few days later, Harry stood in his study, surrounded by his painted ancestors. He was holding the sword of his ancestor, Godric Gryffindor.

"I can't believe you finally found it" said the portrait of William Potter. "I remember searching for it myself, and I never found it. The sorting hat had to give it to you, you say?"

"Yes" replied Harry, examining the sword. "He said that Godric had told the hat to give this to a Potter who embodied what Hogwarts stood for; and apparently, it's me."

"Well go on" said Dorea Potter nee Black eagerly. "Let's see if the family magic accepts you."

Harry nodded and took a deep breath. He reinforced his mental shields and pressed his palm to the very bottom of the blade and slashed it. A deep gash appeared on his palm, and he let the drops of blood fall on the sword.

After nine drops, there was a flash of light, and Harry thought he heard a lion's roar. Harry was surrounded by a golden aura, as if magic itself was testing to see if he was worthy. He remained resolute, holding his head high. After a minute, the aura seeped into his skin, just as he said, "I, Hadrian James Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, scion of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor, do hear by solemnly swear, by wearing this ring to uphold the values and traditions of the Gryffindor family. As Lord Gryffindor, I swear to bring back my family's honour and strive for the betterment of my magical brethren. This I swear, so mote it be!"

The entire study was filled with golden light which slowly seeped into Harry's body. A golden ring, with a large ruby encrusted on top with a roaring lion appeared on Harry's right middle finger. He closed his eyes, as knowledge of Gryffindor properties and places of hiding entered his mind. Harry organised them using Occlumency, so that he could access them later.

" _Audaces fortuna iuvat_ " he whispered. It was the Gryffindor family motto, which meant 'Fortune favors the bold"

Harry opened his eyes to look at Godric's sword, now clean of blood, glowing in his hand. It suddenly disappeared, but he knew that it would appear to him when he called for it.

The various portraits all over the castle started applauding for the new Lord Gryffindor, something which the Potters over the generations had been trying to achieve.

"Congratulations, Lord Potter-Gryffindor" said the portrait of Charlus Potter, beaming with pride at his grandson. "So, anything you can tell us?"

The other portraits listened eagerly. Harry smiled and said, "Well, it looks like Salazar wasn't the only one to have a secret chamber at Hogwarts"

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

A man who seemed to be in his twenties, appeared in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, regally stepping forward from the Apparition point. Instead of checking in as a visitor was supposed to, he strode to another entrance, which was deserted. He opened a door and walked with confidence, just as the features on his face changed. After a minute, he found a desk at the end of a corridor. He went there and tapped it three times with his wand.

"Welcome to the Department of Mysteries. State your name and intention for visiting us" said a cool voice.

"Lord Hadrian James Potter, here to listen to a prophecy that concerns me, given by Sybill Trelawney to Albus Dumbledore" he said in a calm voice.

There was silence for a few seconds, and the voice said, "Please wait for an Unspeakable to verify your identity and escort you to the Hall of Prophesies. The Department of Mysteries wishes you a good day."

"Good day indeed" whispered Harry.

It was a minute later that an Unspeakable Apparated in front of Harry. Harry calmly stood there, as the Unspeakable looked at him. "I'm Unspeakable Bode, are you Lord Potter?" he asked.

Harry, in turn, flashed his Head of House ring, which suddenly appeared on his right ring finger. The Unspeakable looked at it closely, and saw the griffins and shield, along with the Potter motto " _Natus Vincere",_ meaning 'Born to Conquer', on the large red diamond ring.

He nodded and turned. The Unspeakable went to a blank section of the wall and tapped his wand on it. A metal disc appeared, with various runes on it. The man discreetly tapped various runes on it and spun the disc. This type of ward was nothing new to Harry, as he had dealt with it at Potter Castle. They were quite effective, as there was no fixed pattern. You had to know which runes powered the ward and disable it properly. If a wrong sequence was entered, the chamber would lock itself, tightening security.

After Unspeakable Bode was done, a door materialised. He opened it and said, "Please follow me, Lord Potter."

Harry nodded, and after walking along a corridor and through another door, found himself in the Hall of Prophesies. Tens of thousands of orbs were present, filling the entire room. They walked in silence to Row 97, where the Unspeakable said, "This it is; a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney to Albus Dumbledore, concerning the Dark Lord and Hadrian Potter. Only you would be able to retrieve it. Once you're done, place it back in its hold. I'll be back once you're done listening to it." He then left, leaving Harry alone.

Harry looked at the prophecy orb and carefully took it from the shelf. He erected a privacy ward around himself. He tapped his wand on the orb, and he saw Sybill Trelawney say –

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . . and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not . . . and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives . . . The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies . . ."_

Harry grimly placed the sphere back in its hold. The contents had been just as he had suspected. He would either have to kill Voldemort or be killed by him. And there was no way he was going to let that monster live. He would have to increase his training. He would have to be ready for the final battle.

He walked back to the door and knocked. The Unspeakable nodded to him and took him back to the entrance. Harry nodded to the man and stepped back to the atrium. On the way, he morphed back to an adult, and once he reached the Atrium, Disapparated back to Potter Castle with a silent crack.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The woman looked from on top of the building, disillusioned. Her employer had paid her a good amount to get this job done. She was clearly one of the best in her field. So far, her target was proving to be frustrating in that it was very difficult to assassinate him covertly. Therefore, this was the plan. One of her contacts had mentioned that he was in Diagon Alley. It was irritating that she had to do it in such a public fashion, but her employer did not care, he just wanted the target dead. She turned to look around and spotted him, leaving an expensive restaurant with a young man. She didn't know who the young man who appeared to be in his twenties was as her contact couldn't identify him, but it didn't matter to her. Her target was in sight. She pointed her wand in his direction. She needed precision, and there was an instrument that gave her wand that precise balance. She just had to grab hold of the handle and say the incantation, and the wand would fire. She didn't have to worry about missing the target. But the problem with the device was that it was stationery, so it couldn't be used in actual fights. But it would serve her purpose for now.

She took aim and adjusted her wand slightly. Perfect. She grabbed her wand handle and scrounged the necessary hate and whispered " _Avada Kedavra"_

The green curse headed directly for its target. Her employer would be pleased.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Hadrian Potter and Sirius Black left the restaurant, arguing about the Quidditch match they had watched on what was now called the E-Mirror last night; 'E' standing for 'Entertainment'. Harry again had morphed to look like a man in his twenties.

"I don't know why you don't like that manoeuvre, Padfoot. It works!" said Harry, looking at his godfather.

"Maybe so, but that doesn't discount the fact that if a bludger were to hit your face, you're doomed" replied Sirius. "I mean, you're already diving at fast speed, and if the bludger hit you, you would be thrown off the broom and tell the snitch goodbye"

Harry snorted and turned back to face the street to look around and said, "That's the point, Padfoot. The Wronski Feint is done to deter the other seeker. Besides, if you can dodge that bludger and execute the feint, you're a gen - "

But he stopped in mid-sentence as a green jet of light was headed directly for Sirius. Flicking his wand to his hand, he conjured marble in a fraction of a second. The killing curse impacted the marble stone, and the conjured stone cracked as the curse hit it. He looked at the source but didn't find anything, but he could sense magical energy - Disillusionment charm.

Harry immediately turned on the spot and Apparated to the top of the building and started firing curses. The assassin, who wasn't expecting to be found so quickly, dodged and pulled out her secondary wand and started casting spells as well. Harry dodged them all, and immediately put up anti-Apparition and anti-portkey wards. They were the simpler kind, not long lasting, but were effective. He could hear panicking people from below as the people in the alley panicked at seeing the spell fire.

The assassin tried to Apparate, but found out that she couldn't. She tried the portkey that was ingrained in her clothes but found that she couldn't use it. The man in front of her had put up the wards during the time she had fired spells at him. She had never found herself in a situation; she was a stealth assassin, not a duellist. After a few seconds, she found her wand leaving her hand. She was immediately hit by several binding charms, just as she heard several cracks around her.

"MLEP! PUT YOUR WANDS DOWN!" said a voice, as several people surrounded the scene.

Harry calmly flicked his wand back in his holster and flashed his ring. "I'm Lord Hadrian Potter under disguise. This woman just attempted to assassinate Lord Sirius Black. As you can see, I've subdued her" he said.

Sirius Apparated on top of the building too; Harry's wards prevented anyone from leaving, not entering. "HARRY!" he shouted, as he hugged his godson. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

Harry morphed back to his usual self and turned to his godfather. "I'm fine Sirius. But I must say it was a close call for you" he said, looking at the bound form of the assassin.

As the members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol moved in to secure the assassin, an Auror came up to question Harry and asked "Lord Black, Lord Potter. What happened here?"

Harry gave the man a good summary of what had happened. He told him about finding a killing curse headed their way, how he had conjured marble, how he had Apparated to the roof and started firing spells at the disillusioned assassin, how the assassin had retaliated which had given him time to cast the wards to prevent her escape and had finally subdued her.

The Auror had his jaw open in shock. "Forgive me, but aren't you just a thirteen-year-old boy?" he asked dumbfounded. "To think you can Apparate as this age, duel an adult and win, and not to mention cast anti-Apparition and anti-portkey wards, however basic during a duel is astounding! You might want to consider a career as an Auror"

Harry chuckled. "While my father might have liked it, I don't think it's for me. But thank you for your assessment, Auror. I appreciate it."

The rest of the MLEP took the still bound woman and Disapparated, while some of them gathered her wands for evidence.

The Auror looked back at Harry and said, "We will contact you soon for the investigation, Lord Potter. And I would like to inform you beforehand that you might be asked to pay a fine for illegal Apparition; though you can gain a license at the Department of Magical Transportation since you're emancipated and can Apparate. It depends on if you pass the test though."

He then nodded to both Harry and Sirius and left the building with a crack.

Harry and Sirius looked at each other, and with two cracks, Disapparated back to Black Manor. "I can't believe he would try such a direct approach" said Sirius, as he sat on the couch in the informal drawing room.

"That shows Lucius Malfoy was desperate" said Harry. "The other stealthier methods of assassination probably didn't work. And you've got to admit, this certainly could have worked. By hiring an assassin, he didn't have to get his hands dirty."

"It will be difficult to pin it on him, though" said Sirius darkly. "Secrecy oaths would prevent us from finding out that it was him, so Legilimency and Veritaseum are probably useless."

"There are other ways to make her talk" said Harry lightly. "The only reason I know for sure it's Lucius is because dear Draco blabbed. How that brat ended up in Slytherin, I'll never know. Salazar would be in tears had he been here."

Sirius snorted. They sat in silence for a few minutes, when Sirius was alerted by the wards that someone had flooed into the manor. A minute later, Amelia entered the room, with a grim look on her face. She being the head of the DMLE did not unusually involve herself with such enquiries, but this was a high profile target.

"Lord Black" she said in a formal voice. "I would like to request permission for bringing two Aurors with me for the formal enquiry. The wards, if you don't mind."

Sirius stood up, and said formally, "Of course, Madam Bones". He went to the entrance hall, and after a minute, two Aurors entered the manor. After they all sat in the formal drawing room, Amelia began.

"Can you please describe the event?" she asked, a dicta quill writing down everything, next to her.

Sirius looked at his fiancée. "Hadrian and I were out for lunch, as he wanted to shop for his school supplies. We exited The Grand Elixir Restaurant at about half-past two in the afternoon. We were on our way to look at the new Firebolt broom as we had finished our shopping when I saw a jet of green light coming towards me. But suddenly, a block of thick marble was conjured in front of me, and as the curse hit it, the stone cracked. The block of marble impacted me, and I fell down. By the time I got up, I could see spell fire on top of a building. I Apparated there and found the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol there, along with Hadrian, questioning him. It was explained to me that it was an assassination attempt, with me as the target" said Sirius.

"Lord Potter" said Amelia. "Can you describe what happened from your perspective?"

Harry nodded and began. "As my godfather said, we were walking to Quality Quidditch Supplies when I saw a curse being fired from on top of a building. I immediately recognised it to be the killing curse, so I knew a shield was useless, so I conjured a block of marble. The curse hit the marble, and I immediately Apparated to the top of the building and started firing spells at the place I thought the disillusioned assassin was present. I was successful in removing her disillusionment charm, when she started firing curses at me. I used that to my advantage and cast the basic anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards which prevented her from escaping. Several seconds later, I had her subdued, and that's when the MLEP arrived."

Amelia nodded. "Thank you both for your cooperation. Lord Potter, I'm afraid you would have to pay 25 Galleons for Apparating without a license. I would suggest you take the test if you do know how to Apparate. You can get the license early since you're emancipated."

"Any progress in the investigation?" asked Sirius. Amelia sighed and told them.

With that Amelia left along with her two Aurors. An hour later, Harry and Sirius were in his study, watching a play based on one of the stories mentioned in The Tales of Beedle the Bard on the new E-Mirror installed there, as they both were still on edge. Suddenly, there was an alert on the mirror, so Sirius frowned and waved his hand. Another channel appeared – The Magical Daily News.

 _"_ _This is a special report"_ said the reporter. " _We have received information from inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that a little more than an hour ago, there had been an assassination attempt on Lord Sirius Black, the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, in Diagon Alley, when he was helping his godson Lord Hadrian Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter shop for his school supplies."_

 _"_ _The details are sketchy, but Madam Amelia Bones, Director of Magical Law Enforcement has released a press statement. Here it is."_

The reporter's face minimised and went to the edge of the mirror, while Amelia's face occupied the remaining space. Harry was very happy that the Magical Daily Press had adapted very quickly to the new magical technology. From the amount of sales and views of both the Magical Daily newspapers and the mirrors, he knew both his business ventures were very profitable.

" _More than an hour ago"_ said Amelia, looking at the crystal suspended in front of her and a couple of reporters, " _Lord Sirius Black was attacked by an assassin in Diagon Alley. The assassin was perched on top of a building and fired a killing curse at him. Lord Hadrian Potter, who was with Lord Black saw the movement and conjured a block of marble in front of his godfather. The unforgivable curse impacted the block, and it cracked. The marble then hit Lord Black, but nothing else happened to him. Lord Potter then Apparated to the top of the building and overpowered the assassin, just as the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol appeared at the scene. I personally questioned Lords Black and Potter about the incident. But when we unbound the assassin to question her, she consumed poison that was later found to be under her tongue. She died of a very fast reacting poison, while not strong was effective. The bezoar which we administered to her was useless. She has been confirmed dead, and we are looking for any clues as to find out who could have employed her. Lord Black and Lord Potter are both not injured. Thank you."_

 _The reporter came back and continued, "It has not been ascertained as to who could have hired the assassin to kill Lord Black, but speculations have arisen that say that Lord Lucius Malfoy, the Head of the Noble of Malfoy had threatened Lord Potter at Hogwarts a few months ago. Lord Malfoy seems to have been involved in the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which lead to the Basilisk attacks at Hogwarts which resulted in various students at Hogwarts being petrified until Lord Hadrian Potter killed the creature. We are not sure about the involvement of anyone else, but we can safely say that it is going to be difficult with the death of the assassin."_

 _"_ _Madam Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the British Ministry of Magic has been greatly appreciated by many to have kept her professional composure and followed her duties accordingly, even though she is engaged to Lord Sirius Black, who was almost assassinated. She also didn't bend the rules for Lord Hadrian Potter, who has been fined 25 Galleons for Apparating without a license. As the viewers can guess, many have been astounded by Lord Potter's ability. Apparition at the age of thirteen, and to put up wards and defeat an assassin is quite extraordinary. But then again, we are talking about a boy who killed a seventy-foot long basilisk with a sword, so we probably shouldn't be too surprised. For more news, stay tuned. This is Steve Green, for the Magical Daily News."_

Harry smirked. It was time for him to strike back. He was a Potter; he didn't sit idly by. He would conquer, he would always conquer. " _Born to Conquer"_ he repeated, which was the Potter family motto.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 30**

 **Sirius and Amelia looked closely, and they could see that the eagle's eyes were vivid green in colour; not the yellow you would see in case of any other golden eagle.**

 **AN:** As you can see, Lucius didn't just sit idly by; he did try to make Sirius and Harry fall. But too bad that Harry expected it and took appropriate precautions. Besides, there is absolutely no way I would ever let Sirius be killed; he's one of my favourite characters.

How do you like the patroni I chose for Harry and Daphne? Just to clarify, a patronus doesn't need to represent one's personality. As we see from canon, Harry's patronus is a stag, which is James Potter's animagus form. The patronus is a protector, and in canon, he viewed it as he dad, while here, Aquila is his protector. After all, it was Aquila who rescued him from the Dursleys and then protected him and gave him companionship for years later. But it could also represent one's personality. Since Harry's animagus form is that of a golden eagle, it is the closest non-magical creature to a thunderbird. So we can say that his personality and animal is actually that of a thunderbird; explains the bond he has with Aquila too, doesn't it?

I hope you can understand Daphne's character and personality more now as I've described her general traits. And before you ask, yes, unlike animagi, patroni can take the form of a magical animal (Dumbledore's phoenix patronus; Tonks's werewolf patronus). Harry's wand and Daphne's patronus don't really have anything to do with each other. It was just a coincidence.

As for Lucius, you might as why Veritaserum cannot be used on him. Well, I'm pretty sure there are laws that bar the use of the serum without considerable proof, and it needs Wizengamot approval. But just because he doesn't go to prison, doesn't mean that he doesn't come out of it unaffected. He will take a massive beating due to his stupidity.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Lucius Malfoy threw his bottle of Firewhisky to the ground. The bottle shattered, as he angrily looked back to the mirror that stood suspended on the wall of his study. He didn't particularly like that new contraption because quite frankly it was something he couldn't control. That Magical Daily Press was the bane of his existence. Oh, how he wished he could get his hands on the new owners of the press. The move of someone taking over the Daily Prophet had almost given him a heart attack and he was very young by magical standards!

He didn't know what was up with him lately! He should have known better than to publicly threaten Potter, but honestly, what could a thirteen-year-old boy do? How dare that brat destroy the diary? Even thinking about his master's reaction should he return sent chills down Lucius's spine. How in Merlin's name had Black survived that attack? He scoffed at the mere thought that Potter could have performed all those feats of magic. The boy was merely thirteen years old; it was probably the media exaggerating again. But this report he had just watched was a big blow to him; his credibility would take a massive hit. He would have to do something to get it back. What to do? Damn that Potter brat!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office, fuming. A large mirror was suspended in thin air on the other side of the office. Oh, how he wanted to destroy it! He had absolutely no control over it or the Magical Daily Press, and now he was being targeted by all. The people had started questioning whether it was time for him to step down from the post of headmaster. HIM! He was Albus Dumbledore! There was no way he was going to step down as Headmaster. This was _his_ castle dammit! He and Minerva McGonagall had come under heavy fire after the incident of the chamber, and that was unacceptable!

That blasted Lucius Malfoy couldn't even get rid of Sirius Black properly! How that man was a Slytherin, he didn't know. Really, an assassination attempt in the middle of Diagon Alley was bound to attract attention. And Black didn't even have the decency to die; Harry had to have intervened.

His grand plan for Harry's second year had blown up in Albus's face. He had made progress by making the entire school and country turn against the boy, but after Harry killed that basilisk and explained about the true nature about parseltongue, he was once again the hero. Coupled with the fact that Lily Potter had managed to save her infant son and had defeated Voldemort in the process, and by giving her the Order of Merlin, the popularity of the Potter family was tremendous.

He had tried to stop Cornelius from giving the Order of Merlin, but alas! The man hadn't listened to him. Why didn't people understand that what he did was for the greater good? Harry had a destiny to die by Voldemort's hand. After Albus destroyed all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, he was sure the man would feel remorse for his actions, take back his name as Tom Riddle and become the next Leader of the Light. Again, Harry had been a thorn in his side. The brat had revealed Voldemort's real name and had thus exposed Tom for who he was.

Albus looked at the Elder wand in his hand. He had thought that the wand had switched masters after Harry had disarmed him but he was starting to wonder if that was indeed true. The wand had not disappeared, and Albus could still use it, just like before. Maybe he was still the master of the wand because he was far more powerful than Harry. He conjured a chess board.

"Oh, Harry" Albus whispered, looking at the chess pieces. "You have managed to one-up me. But you are still far too inexperienced compared to me. You will fall, I'm sure of it. I'm willing to wait; after all, patience is something I have in plenty. You cannot avoid your destiny forever, my boy"

Albus wouldn't realise until much later that his theory was wrong; and that even though he might slow Harry down, it wasn't possible for him to defeat Harry as karma was sure to bite Albus in the arse.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"You're hiding something." It wasn't a question.

It was after dinner at Black Manor. Harry, Sirius and Amelia were discussing what had happened in Diagon Alley. The DMLE had hit a road block in the case of the assassination attempt. Amelia knew that it was very difficult for Harry to have seen the curse being fired for him to react so quickly. She was incredibly grateful that her honorary nephew saved her fiancé, but she knew that there was something else.

Harry sighed. He knew that Amelia would figure it out. She didn't rise up to the Head of the DMLE due to political influence, no; she had done it through talent, intelligence and skill.

"You're right" said Harry, taking a sip of water. "My eyesight is very sharp, much sharper than any witch or wizard."

"How?" asked Sirius, intrigued.

This was the moment. Harry could either trust them, or withhold information. He then decided to tell them about this particular talent; let this be a test. If they passed, he would later reveal to them about the Horcruxes.

"Watch" said Harry. He stood up, and suddenly in his place was a large golden eagle. Amelia and Sirius were startled to find the eagle there. The eagle flew around the large room and landed in front of the couple. Sirius and Amelia looked closely, and they could see that the eagle's eyes were vivid green in colour; not the yellow you would see in case of any other golden eagle.

The bird hopped down, and eagle transformed back into Harry. "I'm an animagus" he replied. "That's how my eyesight is a lot more acute than any average witch or wizard."

"Wow!" exclaimed Sirius. "You're an animagus at thirteen, Harry! I'm so proud of you."

"Actually Sirius", said Harry with a small smile. "I've been an animagus since I was nine years old."

"How is that even possible?" asked Amelia, her eyes big. "I'm told that the process is very difficult, and the person needs to have grounding in human transfiguration. How could you as a nine-year-old child achieve it?"

"And what does your eyesight have to do with you being an animagus?" asked Sirius.

Harry took a deep breath and began. "I didn't use the common method of achieving the animagus transformation; instead of using the self-transfiguration method, I used Occlumency to connect with my inner animal. Each person has an inner animal; it's the manifestation of your soul in the form of an animal. If you can merge with it, you can become an animagus, and this also helps you in that you might gain some of the powers of your animal."

"As you know, no witch or wizard can transform into a magical animal or have multiple forms; its fundamental law of magic. In my case, my inner animal, my soul representation and hence my animagus form is that of a golden eagle. If you look at it, it makes a lot of sense. I do exhibit several traits of an eagle" said Harry.

"How so?" asked Amelia, leaning forward with interest.

Harry blushed a bit and said "Well, eagles are known to fly high and not interact with others much; I'm quite well known in school for that. Unlike others, I tend to have a long-term plan, while tweaking my short term goals and it is said that eagles have long distance vision. This is where I get my enhanced eyesight. I've read a lot about eagles, and golden eagles in particular and it is said that eagles love the storm. And trust me when I say I love to fly in such weather."

He took a deep breath and continued. "Eagles also tend to have trust issues, so they like to test others before accepting them, and I'm the same way. They love challenges, and I'm sure you already know that I do too." He smiled when he said "Eagles also mate for life, and this is definitely true in my case. Daphne is my one and only."

"Wow" said Sirius, finally. "How long does it usually take for the transformation?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "It probably differs from one person to another. I took me over a year, but I was just eight years old then. Finding your form is one thing, but merging with it is something else. In my case, the eagle took more than six months just testing me if I was worthy until we finally bonded. In a sense, you're testing yourself to see if you're ready. It really is an amazing process. Daphne has already started working on it" he explained.

"This really is amazing" said Amelia. "It could revolutionize the way a person achieves the animagus transformation."

Harry spent the next few minutes explaining about the process, and how to use Occlumency to enter one's core to find his or her inner animal. Clearly, Amelia was interested in becoming an animagus as well.

"Alright" she said. "I assume you're not registered?"

Harry shook his head. "It's dangerous to register here at the Ministry as it is public record. Besides, I don't want the attention, nor do I want people to realise that I'm an animagus. In case of an attack, it's a useful talent to have."

"Have you tried registering with the ICW?" asked Amelia, with a small smirk.

Harry snorted. "That was my plan too. I know that any citizen of a member country of the International Confederation of Wizards can register there as well. In such a case I would be registered in all the member countries. But I don't have any contacts there, and people don't do it because of how expensive it is, and hence I stand out, which is bound to attract attention as I'm mentioned in nearly every book which mentions the killing curse all over the world. Besides, there was no way I was going to deal with the ICW when Dumbledore was still around" he said.

"You leave that to me" said Amelia. "I'll make sure you're registered without any fuss and publicity. As the Director of British Magical Law Enforcement, I have international contacts. I can pull some strings. This way, if someone does find out about you being an animagus, they can't prosecute you."

Harry whistled. "Thanks, Aunt Amy" he said. "The distinctive feature of my animagus form, as you have seen, is my green eyes."

Amelia nodded. She couldn't wait to try the method Harry had suggested.

"There is something else we need to discuss" said Sirius. "The wedding. We've decided to get married during the Yule holidays. What do you think?"

Harry got up and hugged them both. "I think it's wonderful. You need any help, don't forget to ask me."

"Good" said Sirius smirking. "This is easier than I thought. You are my best man."

Amelia and Sirius laughed when Harry choked. "Me?" he spluttered. "I thought Lupin - "

"No" said Sirius immediately. "It's not the same anymore between Remus and I, Harry. He truly believes that Dumbledore made a mistake and that he deeply cares about us all. I even offered to get him a job with a person who didn't care about his problem, but he refused. I understand that Werewolves face a stigma in the society, but his condition isn't public, and I'm truly willing to help him, but he can't let go of his pride. But the same Remus Lupin has now accepted the post of Defence teacher at Hogwarts this year."

Harry straightened and looked at his godfather. "Is this -"

"-another attempt at Dumbledore to spy on you? Yes" said Sirius. "Last summer he also went and blabbed to Dumbledore that we were leaving for France and that pissed me off. Dumbledore kept hounding me for days telling me that it wasn't safe for you to leave the country". He snorted. "As if he had kept you safe when he left you with those filthy muggles" he sneered.

 _Well, well, well, it looks like dear Sirius is accepting his family ideals after all,_ thought Harry, with a small smile on his face.

"If that's what you want, Padfoot, that's what it will be. I'd be honoured to be your best man" said Harry.

"We still haven't decided on the venue" said Amelia, deep in thought. "We've thought of several places, but nothing seems right."

"What about holding it here, at Black Manor?" suggested Harry. Both adults looked at him with confusion on their faces.

"I know it hasn't been done recently" said Harry. "But it used to be quite the norm among the Ancient Houses before. We can have the ceremony in the grounds and the reception in the Grand Ballroom; after all, we need a place to dance. The formal dining room can be modified to accommodate all the guests for dinner. The ward scheme would have to be modified for the evening, but I'm pretty sure it has been done before by the Black family when they used to host parties. What do you think?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea" said Amelia, with a smile on her face.

"Who am I to disagree?" said Sirius, grinning. He ruffled Harry's hair affectionately and said "Good thinking, kiddo"

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

On the first of September, Harry packed his trunk, ushered a reluctant Tango, his Crup in his cage and went down to the Entrance Hall. He then shrank his trunk, put it in his pocket, picked up Tango's cage and stepped into the fireplace. "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters" he said in a calm voice.

The green flames enveloped him, and he immediately stepped out of the fireplace as he looked at the scarlet train in front of him. He stepped on board and found an empty compartment. He resized his trunk and removed Tango from his cage. The Crup barked happily and settled down next to Harry.

A few minutes later, Daphne and Astoria entered the compartment. "Nervous?" asked Harry to his future sister-in-law.

"Yeah, a little" replied Astoria, taking a seat opposite to Harry and Daphne.

"Which house do you think you'll be sorted into?" he asked.

Daphne and Astoria looked at each other and she said, "Well, I know there is no way I'll be in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. I don't think I would fit well there. So it's either Ravenclaw or Slytherin."

Harry nodded. "Either way, you don't have to worry. You have Daphne to take care of you in Slytherin and you have me in Ravenclaw."

Astoria snorted. "I don't need either of you to take care of me! I'm a big girl" she said indignantly.

"Sure you are" chorused Harry and Daphne, earning a smirk from the other.

"Remember what I told you" said Daphne. "Be careful with the older boys, especially one poncey git named Draco Malfoy. He might lure you into a trap just to get back at us."

Soon, the rest of their friends arrived as well. They started talking to each other, and Harry consciously made it a point to join into the conversation as well; he couldn't remain buried behind a book for the rest of his life. An hour later, he got up to go to the bathroom. On his way back, he found an eccentric looking girl searching for a compartment. He frowned as he realised that she was Luna Lovegood.

"Miss Lovegood" he said. "Don't you have any place to sit?"

She turned to face him, her eyes unfocused. "Hadrian Potter" she said in a dreamy voice. "No one wants me in their compartment as they call me loony, so I was searching for another place to sit" she explained.

Anger bubbled in Harry's gut as his eyes flashed bright green. Never the less, he smiled at the younger girl and said, "Well then Miss Lovegood, why don't you come join us in our compartment? I'm sure there's room." Harry decided then that he would keep an eye on Luna when they reached Hogwarts. If he discovered any bullying, the school was going to pay.

On the way, he smiled and waved at Fred and George Weasley, who were probably plotting something again to prank the school. While he didn't like Percy because of his authority worship and kissing people's ass, and Ron Weasley for, well, being Ron Weasley, and Ginny Wealsey because of Dumbledore (though he had decided to stop avoiding her, he didn't know if she was in on the plot; she was a kid after all), he genuinely liked the Weasley twins. They were among the few who had very vocally disputed the claim of him opening the Chamber of Secrets last year. He had also collaborated with them to prank the staff, which turned out to be a great success.

He also smiled and nodded to Cedric Diggory as well as he entered the compartment. The older boy had also not believed that Harry had opened the Chamber, something which he was quick to point out to his fellow Hufflepuffs later on. This had led to Cedric now being considered as the epitome of what Hufflepuff stood for, and now had great influence in the House. Harry had spoken to the boy a few times last year, asking if he was alright after the Lockhart incident. It turned out that Cedric did go to a mind healer, but had slowly come to accept what had happened.

"Hey guys, do you mind if Luna Lovegood joins us? She doesn't have a place to sit and has been searching for over an hour" he asked.

"Sure" said Neville, making room. Luna sat down next to Hannah and smiled. "I'm Luna Lovegood" she said in a dreamy voice. "Nice to meet you all; it seems there are no Nargles infesting this place like the rest of the compartments."

The rest of them in the compartment blinked. Harry was the first to recover. "Well, that's a good thing then isn't it?" he asked. "Miss Lovegood, meet Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Neville Longbottom, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Tracy Davis."

Luna nodded at them all, took out a magazine and started reading it upside down. The rest of them in the compartment turned to look at Harry with their eyebrows raised, but Harry just shook his head. They all went back to what they were doing.

Several hours later, when they were half an hour away from Hogsmeade, the train started slowing down. "What's going on?" asked Astoria.

"No idea" replied Daphne. "We can't be there yet"

Harry opened the compartment door and stuck his head out. He could see many others doing the same as well. Suddenly, the train gave a violent jerk and Harry was thrown back in his seat. The lights flickered and went off. It suddenly became very cold. Tango howled, and put his face under his paws.

"There's something moving out there" said Hannah, in a scared voice.

Harry and Daphne looked at each other with wide eyes. "No!" said Harry.

"They can't do this" said Daphne, horrified. "There are no teachers to protect the students."

"What are you talking ab -" said Susan, when the train gave another violent jerk. Shadows were moving outside their compartment. Harry and Daphne flicked their wands out of their holster.

The Dementor opened the door and stuck its head inside. "Peter Pettigrew isn't here" said Harry in a clear voice. "Leave".

He was doing his best to ignore the memories that were cropping up in his mind.

 _"_ _Lily! It's him! Take Harry and run! I'll hold him off"_

 _"_ _No! Please! Have mercy!"_

 _"_ _Avada Kedavra"_

 _"_ _You'll pay for this you freak! Your father was a drunk and your mother was a whore"_

 _"_ _You'll learn your lesson freak! You're nothing but a useless waste of space. It's time you learned your place boy!"_

 _"_ _Hadrian Potter, such a beautiful boy"_

 _"_ _Daphne Greengrass was only targeted because of her connection to you"_

 _"_ _AQUILA! I'm so sorry buddy"_

The dementor was itching closer and closer. The memories were flooding his mind, and the dementor was getting closer.

" _Expecto Patronum"_

The incantation was the trigger. Harry saw Daphne's wand light up, just as silver mist appeared. " _Expecto Patronum"_ he said, pointing his wand at the dementor.

Both silver shields weren't enough. Harry and Daphne looked at each other for support. Suddenly, there was a Thunderbird's screech and a Nundu's roar. The head of both Patroni formed which then drove the dementor away from the compartment. Harry and Daphne walked out of the compartment and pointed their Patroni at opposite directions of the train, just as a wolf Patronus joined them. Together, they chased the remaining dementors away.

Slowly, the lights came back, and the train started moving. Harry and Daphne fell back in their seats. Daphne curled up and buried her face in Harry's chest. All of them in the compartment were shaking badly. Just then, Remus Lupin entered.

"Is everyone okay here?" he asked, looking at Harry.

"We're fine, Professor" Harry replied curtly. "Everyone, this is Remus Lupin, our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher" he said to the group.

Everyone murmured, but no one was in a state to care. Lupin looked at them, broke a piece of chocolate and handed it to them. "Eat" he said. "You'll feel better. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to speak with the driver."

"So that's a dementor" said Tracy, after he left.

"It's a lot scarier than what was described to me. What did you both do to drive it away?" murmured Neville.

"Patronus Charm" replied Harry. "It took us a month to get it right, but as you could see, we still need to practice."

"Tanny" said Daphne suddenly. The elf appeared in front of her. "What can Tanny do for Miss Daphne?" asked the elf.

"Tanny can you please get my entire stash of chocolates? It's urgent" she said in a flat voice.

The House-elf nodded, disappeared and appeared a few seconds later with a bag of chocolates. She thanked the elf and it disappeared.

"The first years?" asked Harry, understanding what his fiancée was up to.

"And others who are traumatised" she replied in the same flat voice.

Harry nodded and left with Daphne, after giving the group chocolates as well. Harry entered the next compartment, which he knew was occupied by first years.

"Hey" he said to them. "You lot alright?"

The first years were all shivering, doing their best to keep from crying. One girl had already broken down and was sobbing her heart out.

Harry went over to the girl and hugged her. "Shh" he whispered. "It's okay. The dementor is gone now. It won't harm you anymore."

Daphne smiled and gave them all chocolates. "It's chocolate" she explained. "Eat it. Trust me it'll help."

"Who are you?" hiccuped the girl.

"I'm Hadrian Potter, and this is Daphne Greengrass" he said in calm, soothing voice.

"You're the Boy Who Lived" she said, her eyes big and wide. The rest of the first years gaped at him.

Harry chuckled. "You can say that. Make sure all of you eat plenty of chocolate at dessert tonight at the feast as well. If you need anything, we'll be right next door."

With that, Harry and Daphne exited the compartment and went over to the next. Fifteen minutes later, they both had a huge fan following and an empty bag of chocolates.

After they got back to their compartment, Daphne again curled up against Harry and buried her face in his chest.

"I'm so proud of you" whispered Harry in her ear. "You'll make a great mother someday."

"And you'll make a great father" replied Daphne, smiling into his chest. "Don't think I didn't notice how you handled the hysterical kids. You were amazing."

Harry blushed, but didn't say anything more.

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 31**

 **The class was frozen in silence until Daphne snorted. Soon Harry started laughing, deep belly laughs. He again pointed his wand at the boggart and said "** ** _Riddikulus"_**

 ** _AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but as I've mentioned before, I prefer to update fast rather than make them long and update infrequently._**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The weather was bad as they all climbed into the Thestral drawn carriages, but luckily it wasn't raining badly. Once they reached the castle, they entered the Great Hall and sat at their respective house tables. Soon, Professor McGonagall entered with the first years. The Sorting Hat sang the song as usual and the sorting went underway until –

"Greengrass, Astoria" said McGonagall.

Astoria nervously walked up to the stool. After a few seconds, the hat shouted "Slytherin!"

Harry smiled. Daphne definitely could take care of her sister better than he could, so it was good that Astoria had been sorted into Slytherin.

Once the sorting was done, Dumbledore stood up and said "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. Now, before we dig into our magnificent feast, let us welcome Remus Lupin, our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor"

There was a bit of applause, but more were curious about the man. He was wearing decent robes, but his face and neck had scars. Scars were very rare in the magical world, so naturally, many were curious as to what could have caused it.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued. "As many of you are aware, especially after the search of the Hogwarts Express, the school is currently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. I would like to warn each and every one of you not leave the school without permission. It is not in their nature to understand pleading or excuses. Therefore I must ask the Head boy, girl and the prefects to ensure that no student runs afoul with the dementors."

"Now, I'm also happy to announce the appointment of another member to our staff. Please welcome our new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, our very own Rubeus Hagrid!" announced Dumbledore. Harry looked at Daphne, their expressions mirrored. While Hagrid was a nice guy, was he qualified to teach them? Knowing the subject and teaching it were two separate things. Besides, who would recommend someone to purchase a biting book? When Harry had purchased it, he didn't understand the reason behind it, until he scanned the book. He then showed the shopkeeper the way to stroke the spine to calm the book down. The shopkeeper had given the book to Harry for free in gratitude.

After the applause stopped, Dumbledore said, "Let the feast begin."

The feast was wonderful, and Harry saw most of the first years helping themselves to more chocolate. He smirked; Dumbledore had not even bothered to tell the students that bit of information. He would have to go down to the kitchens later to talk to the elves. Clearly, they needed more chocolate on an everyday basis if they were going to survive the dementors.

After the feast, he went to Ravenclaw tower, while talking to his housemates. Harry could see that many of them were happy that he had not held a grudge because of the debacle last year. After chatting for more than an hour, he finally went to his room. He locked the door and cast an expansion charm around the room along with several security wards. He then changed the colour of the wallpaper to red and silver and stuck the picture of his family on the wall. On the other wall, he put up the big E-Mirror he had bought just for keeping it in his room. Harry was surprised how well the mirrors had been accepted by the public, but he wasn't going to complain. Serena had employed several people (with the standard secrecy oaths of course; she didn't want anyone to use her knowledge and steal her work) and this had helped with the rising demand since the branches in Paris, Berlin and New York City were to open in a month.

Harry changed his clothes and went to bed. He wondered what was in store this year.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, after a rigorous workout (he had cajoled Daphne to join him for his morning workouts) and a bath, Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast. He sat at the Ravenclaw table and began helping himself to food when Professor Flitwick interrupted him.

"Here is your schedule, Mr Potter" the small Professor said. "Also, the Headmaster has asked me to tell you that he wants to meet you as soon as possible."

"Already?" asked Harry. "I was expecting it to be later this afternoon or tomorrow, not this morning."

"Indeed" said an amused Professor Flitwick. "Shall we?"

The pair walked to the seventh floor and gave the password to the gargoyle. They knocked on the door and when they heard a 'Come in', they entered.

Harry looked at Dumbledore with his eyebrows raised. He smiled at Fawkes and greeted the phoenix who trilled in response. He sat down opposite to the headmaster and said, "Good morning Headmaster. I must say I'm surprised that you've scheduled our meeting this soon. I was expecting it to be this evening."

Albus smiled. "That was my intention, Harry. But alas, things didn't go as planned. How were your holidays?"

"Very good, sir" replied Harry, his face neutral. "The assassination attempt was an irritant, but I took care of it."

"Hmm" replied Albus, looking at Harry under his half-moon spectacles. "I've noticed something disturbing, Harry" he said finally. "You seem to have signed up for Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes for your electives. While I'm sure Hagrid would be delighted to have you in his class, I don't think you should bother with the other two subjects, my boy. They are bothersome, and I think Divination would be a better course of action, don't you agree? I've taken the liberty to change your schedule for you. I'm sure you'll find it much better" he said in a grandfatherly voice, his eyes twinkling merrily at Harry.

Dumbledore expected Harry to rank and rave, and he had fully intended to put his foot down on this matter; Harry needed to know that prophecies were real if he were to accept the fate of his life. But what he did not expect, was the thirteen-year-old boy to burst out laughing.

Harry gasped out and got his laughter under control. "Those two subjects are bothersome?" asked Harry, chuckling. "Professor Dumbledore, have you checked the merit list and the student rankings of my year? I'm the top student. If I can't handle it, then I don't think others can too. Besides, who in their right mind would give up such an important and interesting subject such as Ancient Runes and take _Divination_ of all things? Sorry Headmaster, I'm not insane."

"I'm afraid I must insist, my boy" said Dumbledore firmly. "This is for your own good."

Harry shook his head. "Oh my dear Albus, you seem to have lost your touch" said Harry, smirking at Dumbledore. "If you think this pitiful attempt at you trying to steer my life in the way _you_ want it would work, then you're more self-deluded than I thought. Don't think I don't know why you want me to take Divination in the first place."

His smirk widened when he saw Albus pale. "I'm not an idiot, Albus. You'll have to up your game if you want to stay on the board. I think we're done here."

Harry got up, and just before leaving the office, he said "Oh Albus? Check. And pretty soon, it'll be Check Mate. I would pack your bags if I were you. We don't want you taking a long time to leave the castle once you're booted out, now do we? Good day Headmaster." With that, he walked out with a shocked Professor Flitwick in tow.

Harry smirked when he heard the angry yell coming from behind the door. Who did Dumbledore think he was?

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The first class was Arithmancy. Harry found himself seated next to Daphne as the students slowly filled in. It wasn't as full as the other electives, as Arithmancy was quite difficult, and very few people wanted to go into the field of spell crafting. But Harry found it fascinating; in a duel, he wanted to use spells that no one else knew about. That would give him an edge over his opponent, which then would be easier to bring him down. Daphne too was very interested as she wanted to be a professional spell crafter and enchantress. For that, she needed a thorough grounding in Charms, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

The teacher, Professor Vector came in and started lecturing them about the properties of various numbers, and particularly about how they could be used in magic. She explained that numbers were the basis of all spells, whichever language they may be. Arithmancy had evolved over time, and this was the version they could see today.

When the teacher started asking questions, Harry and Daphne sat back to watch the rest of the class as they didn't want to alienate the others with their advanced knowledge. Daphne too was now ahead of her peers, a fact that she was quite proud of, even though no one apart from she and Harry knew about it. Harry was also ahead, though not as much as he was in other subjects; he was more fascinated with Runes while Daphne concentrated on Arithmancy.

Of course, Hermione Granger didn't have a problem raising her hand and answering every question that the teacher asked. She kept shooting smug looks at Harry and Daphne, for which the pair rolled their eyes. Really, would the girl ever mature?

After Arithmancy, Harry headed for Transfiguration, which he had with the Gryffindors. The other crowd of students, who had Divination, came in with worried looks on their faces. When McGonagall transformed into a cat and back to demonstrate the Animagus transformation, no one reacted.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."

Many of them shifted in their seats until finally, Parvati Patil spoke up. "Ahm, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class and - "

Harry snorted. McGonagall too understood what had happened. "Of course. I should have realised. So, who's going to be dying this year?" she asked blandly.

Many of the students looked at her with incredulous expressions, until Neville finally raised a trembling hand. Harry looked at his friend with surprise.

"I see" said McGonagall. "Well, if you must know Longbottom, Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favourite way of greeting a new class. Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney -"

She sighed and continued with her lecture. Once the class was done, Harry pulled Neville aside. "Why in Merlin's name would you take that subject?" asked Harry, his eyebrow raised.

"What? Divination?" asked Neville, confused.

"Yes" replied Harry. "It's completely useless unless you have the gift. It's not something that can be learnt. Why didn't you take Ancient Runes?"

When Neville stammered, Harry calmly spoke to him. "Neville, you're the future Lord Longbottom. You can't go around not knowing something as important as Runes. Screw Divination, go talk to McGonagall and change to Ancient Runes. It'll help you in the long run. If McGonagall objects, tell her to read the Hogwarts by-laws. You can change your electives in the first semester if you feel like you can't handle it. And listening to someone telling you that you're going to die isn't something anyone wants to hear. Besides, it's not like you can't handle being in Ancient Runes; you're one of the top ten students of our year."

Neville took a deep breath and nodded. He went back in the classroom. Just as Harry had suspected, McGonagall tried to deny the change possible, but after Neville pointed out that it was indeed within his rights to change his elective, she relented. His timetable was now Ancient Runes instead of Divination.

After lunch, they headed for Care of Magical Creatures. This was a class which consisted of Ravenclaws and Slytherins, though it was higher in number as compared to Arithmancy. Harry saw that Hagrid was waiting for them by his hut.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Harry and Daphne held hands as usual and followed. They reached the edge of the forest, where there was a clearing. Hagrid stopped and turned around.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it - make sure yeh can see - now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books -"

"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated.

"Didn't the shopkeeper at Flourish and Blotts tell you?" asked Daphne, coolly. "Or were you too stupid to figure it out yourself? A simple magical analysis charm would have given you the answer, Malfoy. You're supposed to stroke the spine. As you can see, you're among the very few who haven't figured it out."

Draco flushed, as indeed, most of the class had opened their books without complaint, while he, Crabbe and Goyle were the only ones struggling with theirs.

"Good job" said Hagrid proudly. "Right then, let me introduce you to the magical creatures you would be studying today."

He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him.

Just then Harry saw Hagrid bringing a dozen Hippogriffs near the students. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Daphne, who mirrored his expression. Harry was familiar with Hippogriffs, considering that they were bred by a Potter held company and sold all over the world. He had interacted with the creatures many times and had grown to like them. The Hippogriffs sold by the Potters were among the best, which was the reason why they charged high prices. They were well trained and didn't attack people unless there was an attack. But he doubted these creatures here were trained that well if at all.

Hagrid explained about the Hippogriffs and finally asked if anyone wanted to try to befriend them. When no one volunteered, Harry stepped up.

When Hagrid started giving him instructions, Harry simply put his hand up to stop his instructions. He knew how to deal with them; he didn't need a distraction with these clearly untrained creatures. He slowly walked up to a grey hippogriff, while maintaining eye contact. After a couple of seconds, he bowed. The hippogriff looked at Harry for several seconds and bowed back.

"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right - yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Without saying anything, Harry slowly approached the hippogriff. When he was near enough, he extended his hand and slowly petted the creature and stroked his feathers. "Hello to you, oh noble creature" he whispered to the hippogriff with a small smile.

"Professor Hagrid, what's his name?" asked Harry suddenly, after Hagrid had stopped praising Harry for his accomplishment.

"His name is Buckbeak" said Hagrid proudly.

"Well then Buckbeak" said Harry, stroking its feathers. "Want to go for a spin around the grounds?"

To everyone's immense surprise, the hippogriff lowered itself to the ground. Harry smiled and sat on its back. "Ready" he said to the creature.

Buckbeak stood up and expanded his wings, and soon, Harry was in the air. Harry really loved it when he was flying, and soon he found himself high above the lake. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and he heard an eagle's shriek. He grinned and jumped off from Buckbeak's back.

Just before Harry hit the water, he was grabbed by a golden coloured Thunderbird. Harry hugged Aquila from behind and said, " _Missed you, buddy._ "

" _Likewise, little one"_ replied Aquila.

Harry, Aquila and Buckbeak spent a few minutes flying over Hogwarts castle and grounds until Harry jumped again and landed on Buckbeak.

" _Thanks for the ride, Aquila. See you in a week"_ said Harry telepathically.

" _Bye Harry. See you soon"_ said the Thunderbird, as it disappeared again in a flash of lightning.

When Harry came back to the ground, there was thunderous applause from everyone. While they hadn't seen him riding on Aquila since he had been flying on the other side of the grounds, they were clearly impressed with him riding on the hippogriff. Harry knew that his peers knew of his thunderbird familiar, but he wasn't comfortable with letting them see his familiar yet. They just wouldn't understand the sibling relationship he shared with Aquila, and he knew he would lose his temper if anyone said anything about the massive thunderbird.

"Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

Harry watched as Daphne petted one of the chestnut coloured hippogriffs, when he heard Malfoy insult Buckbeak. In a flash, Harry had his wand out, and just as Buckbeak raised his talons, he cast a silent shield charm between the creature and Malfoy. " _Protego!"_

He was successful, as Buckbeak's talons impacted the shield, while Malfoy was thrown back because of the power of the shield. While Hagrid pacified Buckbeak, Draco Malfoy was withering on the ground.

"I'm dying!" he yelled. "It's killed me"

Harry snorted. He went over and kicked Malfoy in the groin. Draco howled in pain, just as Harry said, "You're the biggest idiot I've ever seen, Malfoy. Insulting a hippogriff, and then acting as though it has injured you; Tsk tsk, such a disgrace has never fallen upon your family, has it? But then again, that is something to be said to a family that has no honour in the first place. Get up. You're embarrassing the rest of the Slytherins. Salazar would cry if he were to know that someone like you had been sorted into his beloved house".

The entire class was staring at the spectacle now, ignoring the hippogriffs. Only Daphne understood why Harry was so angry; if Harry hadn't accompanied his godfather that day, Sirius could very well have died because of the Malfoy family. And it was Draco who had threatened Harry at the end of last term in the first place.

Draco Malfoy was pink in the face with anger and embarrassment. He looked up to see the glowing green eyes of Hadrian Potter. His face paled when he saw the intense anger and loathing in those green eyes. Malfoy got up and made a hasty retreat back to the castle.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The news of what happened during the Care of Magical Creatures class was the talk of the Hogwarts rumour mill. Many of them openly snickered when they saw Draco, some even going so far as to pretend crying like a baby to annoy the blonde boy further.

The next day, Harry had Defence against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins. He was quite curious what Lupin would be teaching them. The syllabus for the third years was a wide variety of dark creatures, so Harry wondered which they would start with. He and Daphne were softly talking when Lupin entered the classroom and told them to follow him to the staff room.

It was a curious class which headed to the staff room. There was an old wardrobe which was wobbling and banging off the wall. Harry immediately recognised what was inside it. Professor Lupin explained to them about a Boggart and decided to make the students face it. There were many things that seemed to frighten Harry's classmates – a snake, a spider, a ghost, a mummy, a crab, until –

Harry calmly went in front of the Boggart. He didn't know what would scare him the most, so he was quite curious. But he was no way prepared for what he saw in front of him.

Daphne Greengrass was lying on the floor, twitching, injured and covered in blood. Tom Riddle, looking exactly like he did a few months ago in the Chamber of Secrets looked at Harry and said in a deadly voice, "I only targeted her because of you. You'll find out now why you should fear Lord Voldemort, Harry."

Riddle pointed his wand at Daphne and said " _Crucio!"_

Many of them in class screamed, but just then, Harry pointed his wand at the Boggart and said in a calm, clear voice, " _Riddikulus!"_

The scene shifted, and suddenly, there was a man wearing green robes, sitting on a stool. In front of him was Tom Riddle, on both knees.

"Oh Tom, you've been a naughty boy" said Salazar Slytherin, in an amused voice. "You deserve to be punished, don't you think?"

Salazar then started spanking Riddle, while the younger boy cried like a baby, literally. The class was frozen in silence until Daphne snorted. Soon Harry started laughing, deep belly laughs. He again pointed his wand at the boggart and said " _Riddikulus."_

The boggart exploded into fine dust. "Very good, Mr Potter. You finished it off" said Lupin, but he wasn't laughing. The rest of the class too was staring at Harry.

"Thank you Professor" said Harry. Lupin recovered and gave the class homework and dismissed them. Once they were away from everyone, Daphne hugged Harry and asked "Are you okay?"

Harry bent down and kissed her. After a minute, they broke apart and he said, "While that may realley be what frightens me the most, it takes more than a Boggart to break me." Daphne smiled, and they headed to the kitchens.

Once Daphne tickled the pear, they entered. Immediately, there was pin drop silence, which surprised Harry and Daphne, as the elves liked them both and were usually very cheerful. An elderly elf came up to Harry and said, "Greetings, Lord Gryffindor. How we be help you?"

Harry's eyes went wide and Daphne looked at him with surprise. "How did you know?" asked Harry, regaining his composure.

"We be sensing you, My Lord" said the elf, looking at Harry with confusion, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay" replied Harry slowly. "But could you all not say that in front of anyone else, or not mention it to others, least of all our Headmaster?" he asked.

The elves all nodded and the head elf replied, "Our allegiance is to you, Lord Gryffindor. We be not informing Headmaster Whiskers".

Harry and Daphne couldn't help but snicker every time they heard that name the elves had coined for Dumbledore. "Okay, good" said Harry. "I came here to see if you're all fine, and to request you to send more chocolate every night. We don't want the students affected by the Dementors, do we? By the way, do they affect you? Is there anything we can do to help?

The elves swooned. "Master is kind!" said a young female elf.

"We be sending more chocolate, Master" replied another.

"We be eating chocolate too, Master. It helps keep bad demons effects away" said another.

"Good" said Daphne kindly. "If you have any problems, please come and inform us. Your happiness is important to us as well. Now, can you provide some lunch for us? We don't want to go to the Great Hall right now".

Once lunch was served, Harry put up a privacy ward around them and told Daphne about him being Lord Gryffindor and showed her the ring. She was fascinated by it, also a bit hurt that he had not told her, but Harry apologised. He had truly forgotten to mention it to her. So far, it looked like the year was going to turn out great.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 32**

 **There was silence. "Who the hell cares about Loony?" snapped Marietta. "I want to know about - blauh". Suddenly, bubbles sprouted from her mouth and the rest looked at Harry in shock.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN** : It has always baffled me why Harry didn't just change his electives from Divination to Ancient Runes if the former was such a waste of time. Besides, which school doesn't provide counselling about which electives to choose? Runes would definitely help Harry more than Divination. And yet, no one bothered to tell him that, and he just picked whatever Ron did as well. He asked Percy Weasley for help, and wouldn't the Head Boy know that Ancient Runes were more important than Divination? What was McGonagall doing? Sometimes I wonder if she is fit to be the Head of Gryffindor House at all, with her doing absolutely nothing to help her students.

As for the Time Turner, no, Hermione doesn't get one. While the concept is fascinating, I would never give it to an immature thirteen year old girl. Was she the only one to get it? How could the Department of Mysteries be so careless as to give such a dangerous object to a school girl? And how is it that McGonagall again didn't check if Hermione was doing okay with carrying such an immense course load? Here it is again, she not doing her duty as Head of Gryffindor. Had she paid attention, she could have stopped Hermione from signing up for all the electives.

According to what I've found on the net, Arithmancy is a form of Divination, but uses numbers to predict the future instead of things like tea leaves or crystal balls. I don't like that, so instead, I've chosen to go with what is usually described in fanfiction as Arithmancy's use – spell crafting. Spells have to come from somewhere, and here is a subject which helps in the creation of spells, potions and rituals.

And yes, Dumbledore now knows that Harry knows about the prophecy, or at least that it exists. But what can he do? His grand plan for the previous year went up in smoke, and Harry isn't willing to fall down again so easily. Right now, Dumbledore has no other option but to bang his head against the wall.

Before you ask, nothing is going to happen to Buckbeak. Lucius Malfoy's influence in the Ministry is negligible due to Harry and the media, and since he doesn't have a leg to stand on, there is no way he is going to risk something like this to bring him down further. Draco will only have to rant and rave.

It always bothered me that Hagrid and Snape were a horrible teachers and no one did anything about it. Surely people pay money to go to Hogwarts, right? What is the point of paying the fees if you get such horrible teachers for the job? Those Blast-Ended Skrewts were a mix of a Fire Crab and a Manticore! Didn't anyone realise that those things could have easily gotten the students killed? What were the teachers and Ministry doing?

Sorry, but I felt I had to rant about this. I absolutely love canon, but Harry is just too stupid for my taste. Albus Severus Potter? Man, that was a disaster waiting to happen. Who names your child after the two people who essentially destroyed your life? I think I've mentioned this before. Déjà vu.

As for the bullies of Luna Lovegood, hehehe, they're going to pay. I really hate bullies and revenge is a dish best served cold, don't you agree?


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The next two months at Hogwarts seemed to fly by. Harry and Daphne again spent a lot of time in the Room of Requirement studying. Harry, of course, was way ahead and was now more than halfway through the seventh year material. It was going at a slower rate than he would have liked, but NEWT material was quite difficult. His target was to finish the NEWT material before Yule, so he was working rigorously. Daphne wasn't any less, who was now close to finishing fourth-year material.

So far, Peter Pettigrew hadn't been spotted by anyone, and the Magical Daily was quick to point out that he might have escaped the country. Unfortunately, Minister Fudge was not buying it and was convinced that Pettigrew would attack Harry, and so the dementors were still placed at Hogwarts, much to everyone's displeasure.

On Halloween, there was a Hogsmeade trip scheduled. Harry and Daphne were looking forward to go on a date to the village. That morning after breakfast, the couple stepped outside the castle, on their way to Hogsmeade when someone shouted "Mr Potter!"

Harry groaned silently and turned back. Professor McGonagall was looking at him with an annoyed expression on her face. "Where do you think you're going, Mr Potter?" she asked.

Harry simply raised an eyebrow. "Hogsmeade, Professor" he replied slowly. "Is there a problem?"

"I didn't receive a letter from your guardian saying that you could go, Potter" said McGonagall in a no-nonsense voice. Daphne got a distinct feeling that Minerva McGonagall could very well have been like Hermione Granger when she was in school. Her attitude really was very annoying.

"Besides" she continued. "The Headmaster doesn't think it is appropriate for you to go to the village during these troubled times. So in you go."

Harry simply stared at her. Daphne was about to say something, but Harry squeezed her hand, letting her know that he would handle it.

"Professor, let me remind you that I'm emancipated" said Harry calmly. "That means I don't require a guardian's permission for anything, which includes going to Hogsmeade. Professor Flitwick, my Head of House knows this, and he has no objection in me going to the village. And please clarify as to what troubled times you're talking about. As far as I'm concerned, the past two months have been quite peaceful."

McGonagall's eye twitched. "I'm talking about Peter Pettigrew" she said stiffly. "He is after you, and the dementors are here solely for your protection and it is irresponsible for you to - "

"Sorry to interrupt you Professor" said Daphne. "But there is absolutely no proof that Pettigrew is here and wants to attack Harry. That was a story built by Minister Fudge. It is also a misconception that the dementors are stationed here at Hogwarts only for Harry's protection; it was done by Minister Fudge again who wants the people to know that 'he is seen to be doing something'. Personally, I feel that the dementors are more of a threat than Pettrigrew, as we don't even know how many of them are guarding the castle. If they attack, we're all in trouble. As for the Headmaster's opinion, please thank him for caring about my fiancé's well-being; unfortunately, his decision to act as Harry's guardian comes several years too late. Thank you for your time, Professor McGonagall" she said, grabbed Harry's hand tighter and pulled him away from the shocked Transfiguration teacher.

"Wow" whispered Harry. "You really know how to throw a mean punch."

Daphne smirked. There was a reason her Patronus had taken the form of a Nundu and her animagus form was what it was. Harry had bet ten Galleons that he would figure out what her form was. She knew without a doubt that she would win. While she had met her animal form, it was a slow process to merge with it. So far, there was little progress, but she was confident that she would be able to do it.

The couple walked around the village, exploring the various shops. As Daphne had a sweet took a mile away, Harry bought her a large bag of chocolates at Honeydukes. They went to Zonko's but didn't purchase anything. They knew that Filch was just waiting to confiscate something they brought back in; besides it didn't suit their needs. After looking around and talking for more than an hour, they entered The Three Broomsticks, a popular pub in Hogsmeade.

They made their way to a table, and Harry ordered two glasses of butterbeer and some light lunch. Once it was served, Daphne put up a silencing ward around them.

"So, were you successful?" she asked eagerly.

Harry grinned.

 _FLASHBACK_

Harry was walking around a deserted part of the castle. He was on the fifth floor, searching for something. After ten minutes and waving his hands and extending his senses to search for a ward or a magical enclosure, he struck gold. His hand was touching a particular piece of stone that he knew didn't belong there, even though it looked perfectly normal to the naked eye.

He placed his hand on the stone and closed his eyes. Just as he had suspected, there was a blood ward in place. He moved his hand a bit, and said in a low voice, "Open in the name of Lord Gryffindor."

The Gryffindor ring flashed and a pedestal appeared in the wall, creating a cavity. Harry waved his hand over his palm, and a deep gash appeared. He let the drops of blood hit the pedestal and healed the wound. After a few seconds, there was a rumble and the stones parted to reveal a stone passageway. Harry lit his wand and entered. He flicked his wand and the ancient lighting charms flickered into existence, bathing the staircase with light. Harry climbed up the stairs until he reached a door, with a lion engraving. The lion looked at him and roared. Harry calmly showed the lion his ring. After passing through another blood ward, the door opened. Once he stepped inside, Harry gasped.

Inside were mounds of gold and other precious metals and gems. There were also several tomes of books on shelves. Further along, there was a study and a bedroom. This was clearly Godric's private chamber if he wanted complete solitude. He must have filled this place with treasures and books just before he moved to Potter Castle.

When he entered the study, he realised that there were preservation wards woven into the room. His eyes went wide when he saw a thick diary on top of the desk, with the Gryffindor crest on it. When he reached for it, the ring once again flashed and the diary opened. There was a message written on the first page. It was clearly written in old English, so Harry cast an advanced translation charm on it.

 _Dear descendant,_

 _I am Godric Gryffindor, and if you're reading this, then it means you are the descendant of my daughter Geraldine and her husband Alan Potter, and you have obtained my sword from the Sorting Hat. I congratulate you on your success, as I had instructed the hat to only pass it on to a descendant of mine whose values matched what Hogwarts stands for – bravery, intelligence, loyalty and ambition._

 _I have gone through a lot in my life. I have experienced hardship, happiness, love, and despair. This is the book that gives you the information about my life, and how this school came to be. All my properties and treasures now belong to you; use them well. If you're interested in knowing about my life, go ahead and read this journal. If not, well, can't stop an old man from hoping his grandchild would want to read it someday._

 _This is the last time I would be at Hogwarts. My health has deteriorated rapidly after the death of my dear friend Salazar, so I'll be staying with my dear daughter and son-in-law at Potter Castle; I just can't bring myself to go back to Gryffindor Castle; not now. At this age, having so many feeling buried within me, I won't be able to survive alone at that place. I'm sure the Headmaster I've hired is more than up to the task of running the school as I'm just not able. How ironic; it is the greatest curse for a battle mage to become so weak. Salazar always warned me about it, but I never considered it. My dear friend would probably be laughing now. Oh, how I wish I could meet Helga, Rowena and Salazar one more time before I leave, even if it is to hear them laugh at me._

 _Learn from my mistakes, child, and do not repeat them. Do your best to take care of this school that we have built to keep the knowledge of magic alive._

 _May the Goddess Magic bless you and may you find peace in your life which I could never achieve._

 _Godric Gryffindor_

Tears formed in Harry's eyes as he read the first page. This was a message from his ancestor Godric Gryffindor, for him. He touched the journal to his head and stood in silence for several seconds. He kept the book down and looked at the mountains of treasures and books around him. It was safer to transfer them all to Potter Castle. He didn't want them here at Hogwarts where Dumbledore's influence remained.

"Toby" he said.

The elf popped in front of him. "What can Toby do for Master Hadrian?" he asked in a calm voice.

Harry cleared his throat and said, "Toby, this is the secret chamber of Godric Gryffindor, at Hogwarts. As you can see, there are tonnes of gold and other precious stones, along with books and weapons. Do we have an empty high-security vault at Potter Castle where we can store this?"

Toby looked around in awe and answered "Yes, Master Hadrian. There are very little treasures in High-Security Vault 12. We can remove it and place all this there."

Harry nodded. "Good. Get the other elves to assist you. Also, find out about the state of Gryffindor Castle. It may be in a state of disrepair. In any case, we can't start on any repair work until Sirius and Amelia's wedding. So for now, transfer everything here to Vault 12."

Harry then proceeded to the diary. He used a powerful copying charm on it, and his ring flashed again. A copy of Godric's journal appeared on the desk.

"Take this diary and place it in the vault in my study, Toby. I don't want this going into the main vaults" he said, handing the diary gingerly to the elf.

"It will be done, Master Hadrian" said the elf.

 _END FLASHBACK_

"Wow" said Daphne, taking a sip of butterbeer. "I can't believe you found the journal of Godric Gryffindor himself! It would definitely answer a lot of questions about what truly happened at that time. For one, are you sure he said that Salazar was his friend?"

Harry nodded. "That was something he mentioned more than once. I'm really curious about that because according to our history, Godric and Salazar didn't get along at all. I wonder what that was about . . ." he said, his voice trailing off.

They finished their lunch, explored more of the various shops in the village and then proceeded to the castle. The dinner that night was fun and after a hearty meal, Harry went back to Ravenclaw tower. Once everyone was asleep, he came back to the Common Room and sat on a comfortable armchair in front of the roaring fire. He opened the photo album that Daphne had given him almost a year back and started flipping through the various pictures of his parents.

It was nearly midnight when Harry finished looking through all the pictures. He hugged the photo album to his chest and stared into the fire, idly accessing the memories which showed his parents from when he had been an infant. Just then, he sensed that he wasn't alone. He looked around and saw Luna Lovegood, who seemed to be searching for something.

"Luna, what are you doing out of bed? Have you lost something?" asked Harry curiously. He had tried to keep an eye on Luna, but between his intense study sessions with Daphne and searching for Godric's chamber, it proved to be difficult.

"Hadrian Potter" said Luna in a dreamy voice. "I was looking for my possessions; it looks like the Wrackspurts have taken them again. They also seem to have taken the picture I have of my mother which was kept on my nightstand, so I want to find it soon."

Harry clenched his fists. Anger bubbled in his gut as he realised what had happened to Luna's possessions. He saw that Luna was wearing flimsy clothes and no shoes as well; as a result, she seemed to be shivering. He also knew that Luna's mother had been a spell crafter, and one of her experiments had gone wrong and had died as a result. Harry had observed that Luna could see the Thestrals as well; so it was pretty clear that she had seen her mother die. And now, she was being bullied by her own housemates.

Harry cleared his throat. He flicked his wand to his hand and cast warming charms on her body and feet. "Don't worry, Luna. I'll take care of it. Why don't you go back to bed? All your items which the Wrackspurts have taken from you will be returned to you. I'll make sure to deal with them" he said kindly.

"Thanks, Hadrian!" said Luna happily. She skipped to the other end of the common room and paused. She turned back and said, "Thank you for your help, Lord Gryffindor."

Harry's eyes went wide. "Luna, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"The Nargles told me that you're now Lord Gryffindor" she said simply. "With four Lordships, I'm sure you can implement your ideas better, Hadrian."

" _Four_ Lordships?" asked Harry sharply. "Luna, I only have two, and please don't tell anyone about the Gryffindor one."

"No, it'll be four. You'll find out soon, Hadrian. Good night" said Luna, and skipped up to her room.

Harry watched her go with confusion. What the hell was that all about? He shook his head. Maybe she was just toying with him. Either way, he had a bullying problem to solve.

"Sally" he called.

The Hogwarts elf popped in front of him. "What can Sally do for Master Hadrian?" she asked happily.

Harry smiled and bent down to the elf's level. Sally swooned, but Harry said, "Sally, there is a student named Luna Lovegood in second year. Her housemates are stealing her things, and she can't seem to find them. Could you and the other elves please find them all and give it back to her? And please compile a list of what all had been stolen and by whom. I would greatly appreciate it Sally."

"Of course, Master Hadrian!" said Sally eagerly. "We be doing it at once."

Harry smiled. He went back to the armchair and started reading Godric's journal. Three hours later, Sally returned. And she wasn't happy.

"Master" she said unhappily. "We be finding all of Miss Lovegoody's things. This be the list of things stolen and who be keeping them. Shall we be giving them all back to Miss Lovegoody?"

"Yes, please do Sally" he said, taking the piece of parchment from the elf. "You and the other elves did a good job. Thank you".

Sally beamed and disappeared with a pop. Harry looked at the piece of parchment with fire burning in his green eyes. This was no prank; this was all out bullying. More than one fourth of the Ravenclaws were tormenting Luna indirectly, and at least twenty of them were doing it directly. The list spanned clothes, shoes, personal items, homework and others. Harry wondered if Luna had anything left with her at all. He would have to do something about this. But what?

An evil smirk slowly formed on his lips. A fitting punishment indeed.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, Cho Chang woke up to find that many of her possessions were missing. She frantically tried to find her stuff, but they had all disappeared! She only had one set of her uniform! Nothing else! She heard someone harshly knock on her door. She opened it to find Marietta Edgecombe standing in front of her with a furious and scared expression on her face.

"All my possessions are gone!" Marietta screeched.

Cho pulled her into her room and said, "So have mine! What happened here?"

"I don't know. I've tried a summoning charm, but it wouldn't work" said Marietta, freaking out.

"Do you think Lovegood is behind this?" asked Cho in a low voice.

Marietta scoffed. "Loony? Please, like she is capable of something like this; she's insane. This is the work of someone else. We have to go to class soon. What do we do?"

Finally, without a choice, they dressed in their only pair of uniform and went to the Great Hall without their bags or books. They both didn't notice the agitated looks of various other Ravenclaw girls as well.

A furious Professor McGonagall stepped down from the teacher's table and said "What is the meaning of this?"

Cho looked at the furious teacher and frowned. "What do you mean, Professor?" she asked confused.

"Why aren't you all dressed in your uniforms?" asked McGonagall crossly.

Many of the girls looked at each other and finally, Marietta said, "We are wearing our uniforms, Professor. And all our possessions seem to have disappeared."

Many of them in the hall had their jaws on the floor. McGonagall went red in the face. "Five points from Ravenclaw, Miss Edgecombe. I suggest you all head back to Ravenclaw Tower and change into your uniforms. I won't tolerate such behaviour again" she said and marched back to her seat.

"What did I say?" asked Marietta, confused.

"You said that you don't want to wear the uniform as the dress you're now wearing makes you look sexy, and you want the boys to notice your boobs and arse" said Cho in a frightened voice.

"What? That's not what I said!" said Marietta, freaking out.

"What is happening to us?" asked another girl angrily.

No one had an answer. Nobody saw Harry smirk slightly. Legilimency and a Confundus charm to not notice that the clothes they were wearing was not their uniform and a compulsion to not mention about their misplaced belongings was a wonderful idea. By the time the day was over, the entire group would have lost Ravenclaw a hundred points and would have hated by their fellow housemates. Wasn't Mind Magic wonderful?

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

In two days, Ravenclaw had lost more than a hundred points. The entire gang of girls who loved to torment Luna Lovegood were shunned by the entire house as no one could figure out why the girls were doing such a thing in the first place. They had not changed into their uniforms, had come to classes without their books and wand, had spoken in derogatory language in front of the teachers and worst of all, acted as though they were the victims! The entire house was furious with them as not only had the bunch of nearly twenty girls got detention, but they had also lost more than a hundred points from Ravenclaw, removing them from first place.

The girls had all tried to explain to their teachers that their stuff was stolen but to no avail. This lasted for two more days, until finally after serving multiple detentions, they each found a note in their pocket. It read –

 _If you want your possessions back, come to the empty classroom on the third floor, on the right side. If you inform the teachers or anyone in authority, say goodbye to your belongings._

The note was not signed. By this time, the entire group of girls was both scared and furious. After dinner, they marched to the empty classroom and went inside. The room was dark and dusty. Just when they had lost patience after waiting for nearly an hour, the door to the classroom snapped shut. The girls shrieked, but suddenly, there was a movement near the door. The disillusionment charm lifted, and suddenly, in front of him stood Hadrian Potter leaning on the door, his arms folded and looking at them with an expressionless face.

"Potter, what are you doing here?" asked Cho crossly. She didn't like Harry because she felt that he had stolen her spot from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

Harry simply raised an eyebrow. "I thought you girls wanted your stuff back" he replied calmly.

"It was you?" screeched Marietta. "You're the one who is responsible for stealing our stuff? You're responsible for us being punished by the teachers?"

Harry tilted his head a bit and asked "Are you the one bullying Luna Lovegood? Are you the one who stole her possessions? Are you the one who destroyed her homework? Are you the one who locked her out of the tower?"

There was silence. "Who the hell cares about Loony?" snapped Marietta. "I want to know about - blauh". Suddenly, bubbles sprouted from her mouth and the rest looked at Harry in shock.

"Tsk tsk" said Harry mockingly. "You really shouldn't call someone insane, when you yourself are demented, my dear. If I had done something like that, I'm pretty sure my mother would have washed my mouth with soap were she alive."

He cancelled the charm on the girl and suddenly the temperature dropped. Harry extended his aura and his skin radiated a faint white colour and his eyes glowed an intense green. The group was unnerved by the display of power.

"You know who else is dead other than my mother?" asked Harry coldly, looking at the group. "Pandora Lovegood; Luna's mother. She was a spell crafter, and when Luna was about nine years old, one of her experiments backfired. Luna watched as her mother died right in front of her eyes."

"You all have parents don't you?" snapped Harry, looking at the girls with cold eyes. "How would you feel if they died? Worse yet, how would you then feel if you were called insane and were bullied by a bunch of more than twenty girls older than you? How would you feel if someone stole a picture of your _dead mother_?" The girls flinched at the tone.

"Luna is eccentric" said Harry. "That doesn't give you the right to bully and harass the poor girl. The last four days have given you a pretty good insight into what you've been doing to her. Her belongings have already been given back to her. If you apologise to her and never try to bully her again, your possessions will be returned to you. Do we have a deal?"

Cho sneered. "Well, it looks like someone is cheating on his girlfriend" she said snidely. "What's the matter, Potter? Greengrass not good enough for you? Though I'm surprised you've chosen Loony of all people. Looks like Greengrass has lost her charm."

"I agree" said Marietta snidely. "She's nothing but an uppity bitch that spreads her legs for any bunch of boys in Slytherin."

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and both girls fell down in pain. Cho and Marietta looked at each other's faces and gasped. There were boils all over their faces forming the word 'BITCH'. They heard gasps all around them and turned to look at Potter. Their eyes widened when they saw Daphne Greengrass standing next to Potter, with her wand in hand.

"I'm the bitch?" said Daphne, with a smirk on her face. "I think there has been a minor confusion; you might want to check your faces first. Even idiots like you can figure it out."

Daphne turned to look at the other girls. "We're not here to trade barbs with you. We're here to let you know that unless you cease your attacks on Miss Lovegood and apologise to her, you won't be getting your stuff back. And as you've observed over the past four days, you won't be able to inform the teachers either. Try to act funny and you'll end up worse than those two pieces of filth over there. Do we have a deal?" she asked coldly.

"F-fine" stammered a girl, speaking for the entire group.

"Good" said Harry. "If you've apologised and learnt your lesson, you'll find your possessions back by tomorrow morning. Now get out. This conversation never happened."

The door opened and the girls all left, with Cho and Marietta shooting hateful looks at Harry and Daphne as they went along.

Once they were alone, Harry put his arms around Daphne's waist and pulled her into a hug. He leaned down and captured his lips with hers. They kissed until they broke apart, gasping for air.

"Remind me never to get you mad at me" said Harry, grinning at Daphne.

"Oh, my dear Harry" whispered Daphne. "Do you think I would use such a direct means to get my way with you? I would do it in such a way that you would admire my subtlety and have no choice in the matter once I'm done".

Harry chuckled and kissed her again. "I love you" he whispered, nuzzling her face.

"I love you too" whispered Daphne, hugging him closer.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 33**

 **The wizard presiding over the ceremony lifted his wand above them. There was a flash of light, and Amelia and Sirius's hands glowed where they were holding each other. Several twinkling silvery stars burst from the wizards's wand, over the newly married couple.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN** : How did you like the way I handled Luna's bullies? Anyway, I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter. Fred and George Weasley are Harry's friends, or at least acquaintances. I just can't bring myself to ignore them as I really like those jokers. Harry again will be investing in their shop as well.

Harry has found Godric's journal! Soon, we'll know the true history of the Founders of Hogwarts. As you can guess, there is no way am I writing Salazar Slytherin as evil. That just doesn't work for me.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"What do you mean we're playing Gryffindor?" asked Roger Davies. "I thought they were playing against Slytherin!"

"I'm not sure" replied Abigail Turner, the Captain of the Ravenclaw team. "All I know is that Slytherin isn't playing, so we'll be playing against Gryffindor this Saturday."

Harry frowned. He knew that the Gryffindor team had a new seeker – Ginny Weasley. He didn't know how good she was, but Wood was making them practice like crazy, while the Ravenclaw team hadn't practiced as much, since their match wasn't scheduled this soon.

"Any chance we could book the pitch?" asked Harry.

"Already done" said Turner. "We only have a few days, so let's make the most of it."

The weather was quite bad, but while others were struggling due to the bad weather, Harry loved every second of it. Flying in a storm was second nature to him and he couldn't wait for the match.

Saturday morning, Harry got ready and frowned when he saw the weather didn't look natural; something was wrong.

He extended his mental link with his familiar and asked, " _Aquila, what's wrong buddy?"_

 _"_ _I sense you might be in danger little one"_ replied the thunderbird. " _I don't like those bad demons around the school. There are too many of them. Be careful."_

Harry's frown deepened. He knew that Dumbledore too hated the dementors, and resented the fact that the Ministry had placed them around the school. Harry had always been worried that they would attack when they got the chance – it looked like today was their day of celebration.

Harry went down to the Great Hall and sat next to Daphne who was already seated at the Ravenclaw table, talking to Luna Lovegood.

"Be alert" he whispered to Daphne. "There might be an attack on the students today."

Daphne looked confused for a few seconds until realization dawned on her. "Dementors?" she whispered back.

Harry nodded and helped himself to breakfast. Once done, they all headed to the Quidditch pitch.

The rest of the team looked apprehensive playing in the weather conditions, so Harry spoke up. "Okay listen" he said firmly. "I know the weather conditions aren't ideal, so we'll make a deal. Leave the stealing of the Quaffle to me. I can handle it, but when I pass it on to you, score. With any luck, we'll be ahead of Gryffindor soon. And use warming and water repelling charms on yourselves; it may not be of much use in such heavy rain, but it might still be effective; chances are that Gryffindor hasn't thought of using them."

The others nodded and cast the charms on themselves. Once done, they took off. Once Madam Hooch released the Quaffle, the Gryffindors took control at once. Harry immediately used the low cloud cover to his advantage. This weather was where he thrived, and he was going to use it well. He dived when he spotted Angelina Johnson having the Quaffle, stole it and passed it on to Abigail Turner who scored, taking advantage of Oliver Wood's shock of Harry's sudden appearance.

This continued for more than an hour, with Ravenclaw leading 90-20. Finally, Harry saw the snitch. He went higher, with Ginny Weasley hot on his tail. The snitch went higher in the sky with both seekers after it. The snitch was at Harry's fingertips when suddenly, Ginny Weasley screamed.

The air was cold, very cold. Dozens and dozens of dementors surrounded them. "Weasley, try to get to the ground, now!" shouted Harry. They both tried to return, only to be blocked by several of the dementors. Harry could feel the oppressive darkness and negative emotions overwhelm him, so he flicked his wand to his hand, thought of all the happy moments he had with Daphne and how much he loved her and shouted " _EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

In the stands, Daphne felt the temperate drop suddenly. She had been searching for Harry, but had lost track of her fiancé after he had gone searching for the snitch. She spotted the dementors before anyone else could, as no one was actively looking for the seekers. She had to help Harry. With that in mind, she gathered all her happy thoughts and emotions, stood up with her wand pointed towards the sky and shouted " _EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

The large Nundu burst from Daphne's wand, just as the enormous Thunderbird Patronus burst from Harry's. By now, people had seen the group of more than a hundred dementors surrounding the Quidditch stadium. Just as people started screaming and panicking, the two powerful patroni formed and took off into the sky. The entire sky lit up in silvery light as the Nundu and the Thunderbird chased away the dementors. Soon, they were joined by a phoenix, a cat and an owl. The demenors didn't stand a chance and were soon chased away.

Everyone present at the stadium was now staring at the two large patroni – the nundu and the thunderbird. No one had ever seen anything like it. The thunderbird shrieked and the nundu roared, and stood in front of their masters. Daphne nodded to the nundu Patronus which bowed to her and disappeared. When the thunderbird Patronus did the same to Harry, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Aquila."

Harry frowned when he saw that he seemed to have something in his left hand. He held it up and his eyes went wide when he saw the snitch, struggling against his fingers. He held up his fist, just as the crowd roared.

"Hadrian Potter has caught the snitch" yelled Lee Jordan. "Dear Merlin, how did that guy do that? As much as I hate to say it, Ravenclaw wins 240-20!"

Dumbledore and the rest of the staff were baffled. Did Hadrian Potter and Daphne Greengrass, two third year students conjure fully corporeal patroni to chase the dementors away? And was he seeing things or was one of then a _Nundu_? Who taught them that spell? What the hell was going on here?

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

A few hours later, Harry and Daphne were in the Room of Requirement, telling Amelia Bones what had happened.

"There were more than a hundred of them!" said Daphne heatedly looking at the mirror. "They are honestly a threat to the students, and unless they are taken back to Azkaban, Fudge can be looking for a new job soon."

"I agree, Aunt Amy" said Harry softly.

"Don't worry you two" replied Amelia. "I'll ensure that the dementors are taken back to Azkaban in a few days. No one is going to let an attack on the students of Hogwarts by the dementors be forgotten. I'll keep you updated." The mirror went blank.

The next morning, Harry smirked when he saw the Magical Daily.

 _DEMENTORS ATTACK HOGWARTS STUDENTS!_

 _By Rita Skeeter_

 _It has come to this reporter's attention, that more than a hundred dementors that were placed around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry attacked the students during a Quidditch match yesterday._

 _These dementors were placed at the entrance and around the school on the orders of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, to capture Peter Pettigrew if he comes to the castle, which according to the Minister, is a high possibility. But it looks like the dementors seem to have posed a greater threat to the students than the escaped convict himself._

 _Yesterday afternoon, during a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, the dementors seemed to have grown restless and attacked the students. Lord Hadrian Potter, the Ravenclaw Seeker was attacked, along with Gryffindor Seeker Ginny Weasley, while the teachers were oblivious to what was going on. Indeed, the dementors seemed to have used the low cloud cover to their advantage._

 _But it seemed that not everyone was distracted. Daphne Greengrass, Heiress Presumptive of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass seems to have been searching for her fiancé when she spotted the dementors. She, along with her fiancé Lord Hadrian Potter, conjured two fully corporeal patroni to drive the dementors away. Yes readers! Two thirteen-year-old students conjured two fully corporeal patroni._

 _To those who don't know, the Patronus charm is the only known defence against the dementors. The DMLE has medallions that work on a similar principle to keep the demons away from the witches and wizards who are employed at Azkaban, but they don't drive the dementors away but merely keep them at bay. The Patronus charm is highly complex, and most adult witches and wizards have trouble casting it. Even if some of them succeed, it is a silvery shield at most. A true Patronus charm takes the form of an animal, which acts as a guardian, protecting you from the dementors. A thirteen-year-old witch or wizard casting a fully corporeal patronus is a phenomenon that has never been seen before. Daphne Greengrass and Lord Hadrian Potter have set a new record._

 _Will the demenorts still be placed at Hogwarts? This reporter has received word that Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is on the warpath against Minister Fudge for sending not a few, but more than a hundred of those terrible demons to a school full of defenceless children. What will it take for Minister Fudge to see that his dementors are the danger, not Peter Pettigrew? Any number of our children could have been kissed yesterday if not for the timely action taken by two thirteen-year-old students. This reporter appeals to you readers to ensure that this government isn't going to condemn our children to a fate worse than death because of our Minister's stupidity._

"Way to go, Rita" said Harry, looking at the paper.

"She doesn't seem to have held back at all" replied Daphne, taking a sip of her tea. They both were in the Hogwarts kitchen, having breakfast.

"It turned out to be good publicity for us didn't it?" chuckled Harry. Daphne simply smirked.

The dementors were taken back to Azkaban that afternoon. Minister Fudge was banging his head against the wall while Harry and Daphne had smiles on their faces.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry stood in front of the wall which formed the entrance to the Room of Requirement. He had put it off for too long, and it was time to finally retrieve it. He paced in front of the wall thinking _I need to access the place where everything is hidden . . . I need to access the place where everything is hidden . . . I need to access the place where everything is hidden. . ._

On the third try, he smiled when a door materialised. He opened the door and his eyes went wide.

"Well, this is going to take some time" he whispered to himself, looking at the various things hidden by people over the last thousand years.

Harry spent the next five hours looking for the diadem. Finally, he sat down opposite to a dusty cabinet to rest, when a gleam caught his eye. He frowned and looked closer to examine it when his eyes went wide. He got up and went closer to the bust, which had a tiara on its head. Harry extended his senses, and he could feel the oppressive darkness coming from the diadem. It was the Horcrux.

He gently levitated the diadem and closed his eyes. The room around him blurred and suddenly, Harry found himself standing in the room which he and Daphne usually occupied. He placed the Diadem on the floor and looked at it closely. It was clearly Ravenclaw's diadem, as he had seen Rowena's statue many times at the tower. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He let all the hate and anger flow through him. He remembered how Dumbledore and McGonagall had left him on a doorstep without a care in the world; how the Dursleys had treated him when he was in their care; how Voldemort had killed his parents and grandparents; how Snape had given the prophecy to Voldemort which had caused Voldemort to hunt his parents in the first place; how Dumbledore had targeted him repeatedly over the past two years. Once he felt he had enough hatred, he pointed his ebony wand at the diadem and snarled " _Avada Kedavra"_

A jet of green light flew from the tip of his wand and hit the diadem. The Horcrux gave a loud scream rattled and suddenly the diadem went still. Harry scanned the device and once he felt the diadem was no longer contaminated, he performed an ancient cleansing ritual which would remove any remaining dark magic effects on the relic. After that, he picked it up and looked at it closely.

Rowena Ravencalw's diadem was the most sought after treasure in the British Isles. He himself had always been curious about it, as it was said to bestow the bearer with wisdom. Carefully, Harry placed the diadem on his head. After a few seconds, Harry smiled when he realised that Rowena truly was a genius. The diadem did not bestow the wearer with wisdom, but it did help the wearer access all his memories with ease. This would greatly help Harry access many of Riddle's memories that he had still not accessed. But it would take a lot of time, which he didn't have at the moment. He was currently working on Sirius and Amelia's wedding, finishing the NEWT syllabus and reading Godric's journal. He just didn't have the time to go through the memories right now, but he sure as hell was going to do it soon.

"Toby" he called for his elf.

The elf appeared in front of him. "What can Toby do for Master Hadrian?" he asked.

"Take this diadem and place it with Godric's journal in the vault in my study" said Harry. Toby nodded, took the diadem and popped away.

Harry breathed deeply; another Horcrux down.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"Alright" said Harry. "Let's get started."

It was the Yule holidays, and Harry was at Black Manor, organising the preparations for the wedding. Amelia and Sirius wanted to spend a lot of money and ask wizarding architects and designers to come and resign the grounds and manor for the wedding, but Harry convinced them that he would handle it himself. He didn't want to involve others in this; he wanted to do it himself and wanted to make it as grand as possible. After all, this was the marriage of the Lord and to be Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. There were certain standards that had to be maintained. Besides, he wanted Sirius and Amelia to have the best and he could certainly provide that.

Harry had called for all his house elves. "Here's the plan" he addressed the elves. "The guests would be either Apparating right outside the manor grounds, or would use the floo. In case they Apparate, I want a clear path from the front gate to the place of the ceremony. Decorate it the best way possible. In case of the floo, it is in the Entrance Hall, so it is naturally decorated as well, but add an extra touch, just in case."

"The ceremony is being held outside at sunset, with the manor as the backdrop. Sirius said that he didn't have a budget, so this is even better. Contact the best companies and fill the entire place with red roses; it's Aunt Amy's favourite flower. Decorate the outside of the manor as well; use different types of lighting charms to light up the manor and grounds."

Harry continued and said "As for the Grand Ballroom, I want it expanded to a large size. Decorate the various corners of the Ballroom with large Yule trees, and make sure that the floor has charms that prevent people from slipping. These are the various decorations that I want done as well. As for the formal dining room, expand it too, and order for several round tables that can seat a group of six people. This would be for dinner, and here is the menu that has been selected by Sirius and Aunt Amy. Before the ceremony, I want snacks to be served on the grounds to people who are hungry."

"It will be done, Master Hadrian" said an elf happily. House elves loved to work, and the more that was given to them, the happier they were.

"Alright" said Harry, looking at his notes. "The orchestra has been booked, hasn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, Master Hadrian" replied another elf.

"Excellent" said Harry. "Good luck" he said and dismissed the large group of elves.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was the evening of the 24th of December, 1993. It was five in the evening, and important members of the British magical society like Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Chief Witch Lady Acton, members of the Wizengamot and others found themselves at Black Manor.

Minister Fudge stepped into the fireplace at his house and flooed to Black Manor. When he stepped out, he saw a smiling Hadrian Potter there to welcome him.

"Minister Fudge" said Harry, extending his hand. Harry was dressed in very expensive black and silver dress robes made of Acromantula silk. It fit his body perfectly, and Fudge couldn't help but be self-conscious in front of the very handsome young boy in front of him. Harry was wearing a deep green shirt; black trousers, a silver tie and vest, and his form-fitting robes were black with silver highlights. "Welcome to Black Manor. I'm very pleased that you have graced your presence at such an auspicious occasion. Please, this way. Lady Daphne will accompany you to your seat."

Daphne was wearing a beautiful deep green dress with silver accents which perfectly matched the colours worn by her fiancé, with diamond jewellery glittering off her neck, hands and ears. She was looking like Aphrodite herself. "This way, Minister" she said with a smile, as the rest of the Minister's office followed them.

To those who Apparated to the front gates of the manor, Susan and Neville were there to greet them. The Bones and Longbottom families were quite close, so Augusta Longbottom had insisted that Neville help with organising the wedding as well. It didn't matter in the end, as Susan had dragged him anyway, something which made Daphne smirk in amusement.

All the guests were in awe of the decorations and splendour the grounds and manor had to offer. The entire place had been decorated with red roses, with tiny drops of water on them. While there was light snow, it didn't fall on them, creating a very beautiful scene of the snow falling from the sky. The grounds and manor were lit with lighting charms of different colours and styles. The food served as appetizers along with tea was simply delicious. Wide area warming charms were applied so that the guests would not feel the chill of the winter evening. Harry, Daphne, Susan and Neville, along with Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks worked overtime, socializing with the guests, acting as ushers and making sure everything ran smoothly. The orchestra was seated in the corner, playing soft music. While the Malfoys were invited because Narcissa was still a daughter of the Black family, she didn't take part in anything as she chose to sit silently; Andromeda had been brought back into the Black family, so Narcissa chose to watch her sister instead. Everyone understood the meaning when they observed that Albus Dumbledore had not been invited.

Rita Skeeter and a photographer from the Magical Daily were there as well, but they had received strict instructions from Harry not to misbehave. So Rita was moving around discreetly, noting the decorations and the guest list, and basically observing everyone.

When it was fifteen minutes to seven, Harry went to Sirius's room to check up on his godfather. He knocked and entered, and spotted Sirius there along with Ted Tonks, adjusting his robes. He looked really nervous.

"Ready to go, Padfoot?" asked Harry, smiling at his godfather.

Sirius took a deep breath, and grabbed the goblet containing a mild Calming Draught and drowned it. Once his expression relaxed, he nodded. He and Harry walked down the stairs and into the gardens where the ceremony was to be conducted. As they walked to the elevated podium, people clapped. Sirius stood with Harry next to him, waiting for Amelia. Sirius too was impeccably dressed, with a white shirt; black pants; silver vest and tie and his black robe with silver accents were all made of very expensive Acromantula silk. Sirius mentally snorted when he realised that such an arrangement would have made his mother proud. He shook his head. He didn't want to go there anymore. He had long ago decided that his Aunt Dorea was a much better mother to him than his own mother. Indeed, once he had run away to Potter Manor, Dorea Potter had sent a howler to her niece, telling her how traumatised Sirius had been, to choose to run away from home instead of staying there for the summer. Sirius only wished that Regulus had been alive; his baby brother had been the only one in his family he had truly cared about.

Just then, the bridal march began. Amelia was being escorted by her brother, as the rest of the Bones family had been killed by Voldemort. She was dressed in a beautiful white dress, with silver accents on it. She didn't look like the fierce Director of British Magical Law Enforcement; she looked like a woman who was happy that she was getting married to the love of her life.

Amelia came to stand in front of Sirius, with Susan next to her. The ceremony went well, and was picture perfect.

" – I declare you bonded for life."

The wizard presiding over the ceremony lifted his wand above them. There was a flash of light, and Amelia and Sirius's hands glowed where they were holding each other. Several twinkling silvery stars burst from the wizards's wand, over the newly married couple. Harry smiled and nodded to an elf who was discreetly standing where Harry could see him. Just when the audience started applauding, magical fireworks exploded in the air in various colours. The crowd gasped as they saw the beautiful fireworks in the air. Sirius and Amelia, who weren't in on this plan developed by Harry, looked at the sky in awe. Suddenly, another firework exploded, which formed the words, " _Congratulations to Sirius and Amelia Black_ "

Harry grinned at the awestruck expressions on Sirius and Amelia's faces. "Like it?" he asked happily.

"This is amazing" whispered Amelia. "It really is spectacular."

"Indeed" said Sirius.

Once the show was over, Harry, Daphne and the others led the guests inside the manor to the enlarged formal dining room. There were multiple round tables, with beautiful lanterns and candles floating in the air for enhanced effects. Harry sat down next to Daphne and sighed in contentment. They socialized with others as they ate dinner, which was a mix of various cuisines. After a truly delicious meal, the guests were ushered to the Grand Ballroom where people gave their gifts to the newly married couple and started dancing and socializing.

Harry and Daphne together spent a lot of time talking to various people, important or otherwise. Many women had congregated around Elizabeth Greengrass as she was seven months pregnant at this time. The orchestra played spectacular music which enhanced the experience of those on the dance floor. The Grand Ballroom too was beautifully decorated. Virtual snow was falling from the ceiling, and there were several ice sculptures at various places. The entire place was covered in beautiful roses, holly and mistletoe. The wedding really was very grand, as Harry had not spared any expense to make it very special for his godfather and honorary aunt.

"I think it went rather well, don't you think?" asked Harry, as he danced with Daphne.

"Oh definitely" she replied, looking into his eyes. "If you're willing to go through all this for your godfather's wedding, I can't wait for ours."

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, Daphne" he said softly. "I'll make sure ours is the wedding of the century."

Daphne chuckled lightly as Harry hugged her to his chest. "Don't let anyone hear you say that" she said. "There are many young girls here who're already looking at you as though you're a particularly delicious piece of meat."

"Who cares?" whispered Harry in her ear. "I can see many boys eyeing you as well. You look gorgeous tonight, Daphne; you're the prettiest girl here. As long as they stay the hell away from you, I don't have a problem. In fact, I think I'm going to stake my claim right now" he said, and his lips slowly found his way to hers, kissing her softly and deeply. Daphne, of course, didn't mind and she reciprocated happily.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Cyrus Greengrass sighed and steered his wife the other way. "What?" asked Elizabeth, looking at her husband. Cyrus inclined his head the other way, pointing to where Harry and Daphne were dancing and kissing each other deeply.

"Oh come on, Cyrus" said Elizabeth exasperated. "They've been together for two years now. Your daughter is thirteen and betrothed. Isn't it time to let go?"

" _Only_ thirteen" replied Cyrus. "When I see her like that, I can't help but remember the small infant you placed in my arms when she was born. How am I supposed to handle – this?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "They're only kissing and you yourself said several months ago that you didn't have a problem with it. Besides, it could be a lot worse. We know we can trust Harry. It could have been some other boy who might have been horrible and stuck up. Besides, just look at them! Aren't they so adorable?" she gushed.

"I guess" said Cyrus, hugging his wife for comfort.

"Look" said Elizabeth softly, to comfort her husband. "Daphne is growing up. She will always be your daughter; no one can change that. But she is also the future Lady Potter, and you're going to have to get used to Harry being the most important man in her life. If it bothers you so much, talk to her. I'm sure Daphne wouldn't mind. At least be happy that she found someone who she loves so much and who loves her back as well. Harry might have been forced upon her, but they're both clearly very happy with each other. Be happy for your daughter, dear. And someday, when they both get married in a ceremony just like this, you would have buck up and deal with it. Understood?"

Cyrus nodded morosely. His daughters were growing up so fast. Elizabeth smiled and said, "Just remember dear, while both your daughters might be growing up, you will soon have an infant son to spoil."

Cyrus looked up at his wife and his eyes lit up and a grin formed on his face. "That's true" he said happily. "Let's dance!"

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 34**

 **"** **I finished the animagus transformation" said Daphne, grinning. "So, it's time for you to guess what my animal form is going to be."**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** And here we are! The dementors are removed from Hogwarts and Harry and Daphne got additional good publicity as well. Another Horcrux down, and let me clarify about that. According to Book 7, the soul in the container has to be destroyed. In that case, why not use a spell which does just that? After all, the killing curse works on the same principle doesn't it? Why wouldn't the killing curse work against the Horcruxes? It worked on Harry's scar! The Horcrux hunt would have been more productive if they had used the Killing curse, but maybe JKR had a reason for it. Oh well, I used it here because I didn't want the Founders' artifacts destroyed as they could be put to good use.

Sirius and Amelia are now married! They're now the Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. The two of them were very touched that Harry went through so much trouble to organise their wedding, so they'll leave a special present for him. Sirius had always wanted to buy Harry a broom, and he finally found the best one to give to his godson.

So, who can guess what Daphne's animagus form is going to be?


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Draco Malfoy was looking from the other side of the Ballroom where he was dancing with Pansy Parkinson. He was glaring daggers at Hadrian Potter and Daphne Greengrass who were kissing each other deeply, oblivious to their surroundings. While Pansy was nice for now, he had always wanted Greengrass. The girl looked so beautiful tonight that he had heard many say that she looked like a Veela. _He_ was supposed to get her, not Potter. He was Draco Malfoy; he deserved Greengrass as his future wife! But Potter just had to get in the way with that thrice damned contract. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go!

With Sirius Black now married, he wouldn't inherit the Black Lordship and fortune either, he thought morosely. He had always been told when he was growing up that he would be the future Lord Malfoy as well as Lord Black. He had wanted to get married to Daphne Greengass to control the Greengrass Lordship and fortune as well. Now all his plans lay in ruins.

Draco Malfoy truly hated Hadrian Potter with every inch of his heart.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Remus Lupin returned to Hogwarts just after the wedding ceremony, not staying for dinner or the reception. He was sad that he had not been asked to be Sirius's best man. That honour had gone to Harry. He knew that Sirius was miffed because of his close contact with Dumbledore, but what was he supposed to do? This was Albus Dumbledore!

He was also annoyed that Sirius had not invited Dumbledore to the wedding. Whatever problems Sirius had with the man, Dumbledore was a great wizard, and in his mind, no one could question that. Remus was sure that Harry must have had something to do with that. He had told Dumbledore about Harry's boggart; it had definitely been an interesting experience knowing what frightens Harry the most. But what was shocking was that Harry wasn't fazed at all! He had created a scene of Salazar Slytherin spanking Voldemort!

Oh well, he better inform Dumbledore what happened at the wedding. The Headmaster should be informed about what happens all around him. How else would he take important decisions when the need arises? Remus would trust the Headmaster; and soon, Harry would realise his mistake and apologise to him and Dumbledore. After all, one couldn't help but look up to someone like Dumbledore. He was the second coming of Merlin after all!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore was annoyed. Remus Lupin had just come back from Black Manor and had told him all about it. It was a public slap in the face when he was not invited to the wedding; he was a member of the Wizengamot, after all. He knew that people would definitely know that things were bad between the Lord and Lady Black and Albus Dumbledore.

Albus didn't like Sirius and Amelia getting married to each other. That was another reason why he had sent Sirius to Azkaban. They were a powerful pair, just like James and Lily had been; and that just wouldn't do. Amelia was also the Head of the DMLE, one of the most powerful and influential departments in the Ministry of Magic. With her now being Lady Black, her position was cemented as the most powerful woman in the country. She already had a base of power, and this marriage would create a bigger block. There was already a subtle shift in the Wizengamot. The Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Black, Greengrass and Longbottom were now together and were gathering support among the other Houses as well as members of the body. Sirius was laying the foundation for when Harry would take his seat so that he could inherit a powerful block and alliances in the Wizengamot. Albus was also being targeted and discredited subtlety nearly every week by the media.

Things weren't going as planned at all. He felt like banging his head against the wall.

Fawkes looked amused; the human was an unending source of entertainment for the phoenix. He had chosen to accompany the human decades ago because he was fighting for something he believed in, and frankly, Fawkes had wanted a different experience. But only later did he realise that Albus was nothing like what he portrayed himself to be. The man wasn't really evil but just didn't care about anyone but himself. He always believed that he was acting in the best interests of others, but frankly, his decisions cost more lives that Albus would care to admit. Fawkes could have left Albus anytime, but he knew that Hadrian Potter had a special destiny ahead of him. All the magical creatures knew that change was imminent; magic was going to be brought back to the forefront again, with Hadrian Potter leading it. The non-magical creatures sensed that something was going to happen as well that would benefit them. The phoenix wanted to be close to the Lord of Lightning in case the boy needed help. Besides, it was fun watching the stupid human curse and destroy his office every time the boy did something that went against Albus's plans. Ah, what a vacation. The sorting hat too chucked.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was well past two in the morning when finally the last guest flooed back to their house. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and flooed to Potter Castle. He was exhausted, and he probably would get up only past noon. He went to the master bedroom, removed his clothes and just crashed in bed wearing only his boxers. He was sound asleep within seconds.

Harry found himself being shaken awake. He frowned, still refusing to open his eyes. "Five minutes, Minnie" he mumbled, covering his eyes so that the sunlight wouldn't hit his face.

"I'm not Minnie" said a voice. "And you better get up now, Hadrian James Potter, or I will be forced to resort to drastic measures."

Harry groaned, took a pillow and covered his face. "Go away" he mumbled.

"Very well then" said the voice. Suddenly, Harry found himself hoisted in the air, with his ankle dangling in the air, and him hanging upside down. "AAAHHHHH" he screamed.

"It is half-past three in the afternoon!" said Daphne exasperated. "You slept through breakfast, but I'm not going to let you skip lunch as well."

"Alright, alright" said Harry. "Just let me down, will you?"

Daphne flicked her wand, and Harry came crashing down to his bed. Daphne's eyes went wide, and she blushed heavily as she caught sight of the large tent that had formed in Harry's boxers. "Harry Yuletide" he said, standing up and stretching, much to Daphne's embarrassment.

"I'll be downstairs okay? Come down once you're dressed" said Daphne and rushed out of the room as fast as she could.

"What's up with her?" asked Harry out loud, confused. He looked down, and suddenly his eyes went wide and he blushed as he caught sight of his very obvious erection. "This is awkward" he said as he went to take a bath.

Once he was dressed, he went down to the informal dining room where Daphne was seated, reading the morning's copy of the Magical Daily, while watching something on her handheld E-Mirror. Harry sat at the table and started eating. "Anything about the wedding?" he asked her.

Daphne nodded. "It's made the front page news. It's quite good, actually. It focuses on the beautiful decorations, the guest list, the ceremony, the magical fireworks, the delicious food and the wonderful time everyone had dancing with each other. Albus Dumbledore has been specifically mentioned that he had not been invited by Sirius and Amelia, so people now know that they can't get along, even if it was speculated before. And there is an article about the impact of the wedding on the balance of power in the Ministry and the Wizengamot."

Harry nodded. That was good news. Once finished, Harry and Daphne flooed to Greengrass Manor as the Greengrasses had insisted that Harry should not spend the holidays alone. Harry's elves had transported all of his gifts to Greengrass manor so that he could open them there.

When it was time for Harry to give his present to Daphne, he first asked her, "What do you think it's going to be?"

Daphne looked amused and tapped her chin. "Well, you've given me a ring, a bracelet, and a locket. So I'm going to go with earrings" she said looking around for the present.

Harry grinned. He wandlessly summoned a large package and said "Nope. This is my gift."

Daphne curiously opened the package and removed a stylish pair of Dragon-hide boots. "Oh this is gorgeous" she exclaimed.

"I remember you saying that your boots were getting worn out and that you wanted new ones" said Harry, smiling at her. "So here you go."

Daphne smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Harry; I appreciate it."

Elizabeth Greengrass was shocked and suddenly she rounded on her husband. "He remembers something she mentioned once! How is that you don't remember the hints I give you even if I bang the ideas over your head? They've been together only for two years while we're been married for so many and you still don't know how to buy me a present" she ranted, her hormones taking control again.

Cyrus cringed. "Sorry Lizze. I'll pay more attention next time" he said, hoping it won't make her mad.

Elizabeth huffed. "That's what you've been telling me since we've been dating."

Harry looked and Cyrus and said, "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, but if I had any indication that this would happen, I wouldn't have brought it with me." With that, he slid a small box to Daphne.

Daphne curiously opened the box and her eyes went wide. "I knew it! It's beautiful. Thanks Harry" she said and kissed him.

Elizabeth curiously looked at what Harry had given her daughter when she found a pair of stunning diamond earrings.

"What?" she yelled, looking at her husband, who looked like he wanted to run away rather than deal with his heavily pregnant wife who seemed to have gone into one of her mood swings again. "He is only thirteen years old, and look at the stunning jewellery he buys for his fiancée. What about you? Your selection is horrible! You're a man in your late thirties and yet you can't buy proper gifts, Cyrus. What do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded.

Cyrus gaped at his wife and rounded at Harry. "Okay look. I'll do anything" he pleaded. "Just take me shopping with you from now on. At least then I won't have three angry women yelling at me."

"Alright, alright" said Harry, raising his hands in a motion of surrender. "If that's what you want Cyrus, I'll be more than happy to take you shopping next time."

"I can't wait for this pregnancy to get over" muttered Cyrus. "I could swear the last two were nowhere near this bad."

"What was that?" snapped Elizabeth.

"Nothing dear" said Cyrus, not wanting his wife to get on with another rant again as both of them headed to their room.

Harry shook his head. He couldn't believe how the sweet and soft-spoken Elizabeth Greengrass could yell like that. He smiled as he idly wondered how his mother must have yelled at his dad when she was pregnant with him; he would have to ask Sirius for stories. They surely must be funny; James Potter crouched behind a sofa with Lily Potter throwing hexes at her husband.

He looked around and frowned when he realised that Daphne wasn't there. Just then, he spotted her levitating a very large rectangular wrapped present. She placed it front of him and said, "This is for you Harry."

Harry, with brimming curiosity, unwrapped it and gasped. It was a large frame with several photographs of him and Daphne together. In the center was a large picture that seemed to have been –

"Wasn't this picture taken yesterday? In fact, there are many pictures that seemed to have been taken last night" said Harry in confusion.

"Oh yes" replied Daphne. "I was awake all night getting those pictures and arranging them. I only finished it this morning. Like it?"

Harry closed his eyes. Daphne always went out of her way to make something special for him; the photo album last year, and this large photo frame with their pictures this year; his gifts to her seemed so impersonal in comparison. Sure, his gifts were more expensive, but they lacked the emotional component which Daphne always preferred when gifting him something.

"What's wrong?" asked Daphne, kneeling down in front of him. "Don't you like it?" she asked with concern. "I can change it if you'd like. I can add - "

"No, it's perfect" replied Harry softly. "It's just that I can't help but compare the gifts I give you and the ones you give me. You spend so much time and energy into them; they carry such an emotional and sentimental value, while my gifts seem so superficial and impersonal."

"Oh, Harry" said Daphne, cupping his face with her hands. "I don't feel that way at all. I honestly love the presents you give me. Do you think any girl will complain about it? I don't mind at all. The reason I give you such presents which are so sentimental is because I want you to know that there are people around you who love you; I don't ever want you to forget that. That's why I don't care about any discomfort or lack of sleep. You've suffered a lot in your life, Harry. I just want to bring some sunshine and happiness in your life. Don't ever think that you are not worthy of being with me or something of that nature. I love you, and that is more than enough a reason for me to do this; just like it is a reason for you to buy me stuff which I like. There is no difference" she said, looking into his eyes.

Harry smiled slightly and ran his fingers along the side of her face. Daphne was just so perfect. How could Magic have created someone so utterly perfect for him? He couldn't believe the extent she would go to, just to bring some joy in his life.

He brought her close to him, and touched his forehead with hers and looked deep into her eyes. "You're the light of my life; you're the love of my life. I can't ever live without you" he whispered.

"You'll never have to. And I love you too" whispered Daphne, and kissed him softly.

Daphne then turned and saw that there was once more gift left. She picked it up and said "It's for you, Harry. It's from Sirius and Amelia".

Harry took the package from Daphne and opened it. His widened when he saw what was inside it.

"Is that a Firebolt?" asked Daphne curiously.

Harry was too shocked to speak. He was very impressed with the newest and fastest broomstick in the market, but he had decided that since he had a working broom, he didn't want to buy another one. But looking at the broom in his hands, he had to admit this was the most stunning broom he had ever seen. Jet black handle and perfect bristles, along with a silver inscription of the broom number '7', along with his name 'Hadrian Potter' were engraved on the handle.

"I think I'm in love" whispered Harry.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Great" she muttered to herself. "I should have known something like this would happen".

Harry then picked up a piece of parchment that was lying on the ground next to the wrapping paper.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Consider this as a thank you for all that you did to make our wedding so special. It truly meant a lot to us. We hope you like our present._

 _Love,_

 _Sirius and Amelia Black_

Harry smiled and stuffed the parchment in his pocket. He couldn't wait to fly on the broom. While nothing could beat flying in a storm with Aquila, flying on the Firebolt was a whole different experience.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was now February. Nothing much had happened in the one month, but Daphne had called him to the Room of Requirement urgently. He went in and saw his fiancée looking very happy.

"Hey Daph, what's up?" he asked curiously.

"I finished the animagus transformation" said Daphne, grinning. "So, it's time for you to guess what my animal form is going to be".

"You did it?" said Harry, moving forward and giving her a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you! Okay, if I have to hazard a guess, I think you're a leopard" declared Harry.

Daphne smirked and transformed and in her place stood a Siberian tigress in all her might. Harry screamed when the tiger pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. He looked up and saw the tiger's face was inches from his own. Unlike a regular tiger, this one's eyes were deep blue; a shade he was very familiar with. Suddenly, the tigress licked his face.

"Okay" said Harry in a shaky voice. "That's a good girl. Now, why don't you get off me so that I can see you properly? Damn, that was scary."

Instead, the tigress roared, and Harry cringed. Daphne really looked scary as those sharp fangs were just inches from his neck.

"Good girl" said Harry, nervously petting the tigress. The tigress purred and licked his face again, and got off of him. Harry got up and took a closer look at the tigress.

"You're beautiful, Daphne" said Harry, running his hands through the silky yellow and black fur. He looked into her eyes again, and he couldn't help but get lost in those deep blue orbs. The tigress licked his face again, and in a flash, Daphne stood in front of him.

"I think my animagus form is much better than yours, don't you agree?" asked Daphne, hugging her fiancé.

"Hey!" protested Harry. "I admit your form looks scary, but I prefer flying rather than walking any day. Besides, the eagle is considered the king of the sky. And while the tiger may not be called the king of the jungle, it definitely is the apex predator in the jungle, just like mine is in the sky. It really shows your character and personality, Daphne. I'm incredibly proud of you."

Daphne smiled into his chest. "Thank you" she whispered.

"Have you noticed any enhanced senses after the transformation?" asked Harry after a minute.

"Oh yes" replied Daphne. "My hearing is much, much better than what it used to be. I don't need a supersensory charm to tell me that someone is approaching; I can just hear their footsteps and know. Not much has changed with any of my other senses, but I can see easier in the darkness now; not by much, but the change is somewhat noticeable."

"Good" replied Harry. "It is prefect isn't it? My enhanced eyesight and your enhanced hearing; we make a great team" he said, resting his head on top of hers.

"We always are" said Daphne, smiling.

"I'll inform Aunt Amy to register you with the ICW as well" said Harry. "It will ensure that we don't run into any problems in the future. Or maybe I can do it myself."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

A week later, Harry, Daphne and Astoria found themselves at St. Mungos, waiting for Elizabeth to give birth to her son. After more than two hours, a healer beckoned them inside. The three of them went in to find Elizabeth holding a newborn baby boy.

Cyrus beamed at his daughters and said, "Girls, I would like to introduce you to your baby brother, Dylan Stephen Greengrass."

Harry looked at the baby, and he couldn't help but smile. It really was adorable. After some awws and cooing from both girls, Cyrus asked if Harry wanted to hold the baby.

"Me?" asked Harry in bewilderment. "I've never even seen a newborn baby in my life, let alone held one. Are you sure?"

"Yes" replied Elizabeth. "Come here" she said, motioning him to come near her bed.

Harry went over and tentatively took the baby from her grasp. He looked down and saw that like Daphne, Dylan had inherited his father's deep blue eyes. The baby snuggled into Harry's hold and smiled.

Harry wondered how his parents must have felt when he was born. He had always wondered why his mother had willingly sacrificed her life to save him, but now that he had an innocent, defenceless infant in his hands, he understood the feeling – had he been a father, he would have done the same as his parents had. As he gave baby Dylan back to his mother, Harry stepped back to give the family some privacy. He looked at Daphne and couldn't help but smile. There was no way he would let someone like Dumbledore or Voldemort steal his opportunity of having a family with Daphne. He would be successful; he had to.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry finally finished Godric's journal and put it down. Silent tears were flowing from his eyes as he thought about the life of the most celebrated founder of Hogwarts. People thought that Godric had been the epitome of goodness, while Salazar had been the evil wizard of the time; oh, how wrong they were.

Godric had been the first born son of the Gryffindor family. The Gryffindors were an old family, dating back to the time of King Arthur and Merlin. In fact, they, along with the Potters and Slytherins were members in King Arthur's court hundreds of years ago. It was during such time that Godric had met Salazar, a boy five years younger than him, but they didn't have much contact during their childhood. He was taught magic by his parents and other tutors, and once he was an adult, he travelled abroad to learn the various branches of magic. While in Magical Italy, which still carried its traditions from the Ancient Roman Empire, he met a woman who was a year older than him, but she too wanted to go abroad and learn all about magic. Her name was Laurentia, and after fighting and convincing her parents, the pair travelled extensively for many years, learning various branches of magic. In Egypt, Godric won the friendship of the Goblins; a warrior race, known for their expertise in banking, warding, warfare and creation of weapons from magical metals that only their race could work with. He spent a lot of time with them, learning about their culture and how to wield a sword. Once, he saved a bunch of goblins from a mob of muggles who wanted to kill them, so the leader of the Goblin community finally accepted Godric's request and made a special sword for him as a reward (Godric still had to pay for it of course). It was a four-foot long blade, made of Goblin silver, so it was very conductive for magic use. While he was quite good with his wand, he couldn't help but be at home with his new sword. He spent many years enchanting and enhancing the sword to his style. By this time, he and Laurentia had fallen in love and had decided to get married.

After talking to her parents and returning to Britain to talk to his family, it was finally decided to hold the marriage ceremony in Rome. Once they were married, Godric and Laurentia returned to Britain, hoping to create a better life for the people of their country. But there were problems as witch hunts grew in popularity; if muggles detected witches and wizards or even magical creatures, they would be attacked in their sleep and killed in their beds. The muggles would then drag the mutilated bodies for all to see. These instances horrified Godric, but he felt that once they could explain to the muggles that magic wasn't evil, everything would work out and both magicals and muggles could coexist in peace.

It was a few short months into their marriage that Laurentia found herself pregnant. The couple was ecstatic and nine months later, Laurentia gave birth to a girl, who they named Geraldine Gryffindor. When Geraldine was only a year old, tragedy struck the family; Godric's entire family had been targeted due to them being witches and wizards. His parents and siblings were all killed by a large mob of muggles. Godric was filled with rage and wanted vengeance, but Laurentia managed to calm him down. It was then that Godric decided to rethink his plan for muggles and magicals coexisting with each other. During his tour of Magical China and India, he had come to a startling realization that the magical community of both countries had separated from their muggle counterparts because of all the violence and instability in their countries brought about by the muggles. While the muggle communities were unstable, the magical communities still thrived, keeping the rich heritage and knowledge of their ancient traditions and magic alive.

Life went on, but Laurentia had made a friend from Scotland named Rowena Ravenclaw. She was several years older than Godric and Laurentia and had come back to Britain from Albania, where her husband's family was nobility. Godric was very impressed with the older woman's sheer intelligence and talent with her wand. The Gryffindor family slowly got to know Rowena, who became close to Laurentia, and thus as an extension, her husband Godric.

But unrest in the muggles soon found its way to strike again. One night, when Godric was away on business, the muggles attacked his home. An entire mob of muggles managed to overpower Laurentia, and burned her at the stake, while her six-year-old daughter was badly injured. Luckily, Laurentia had managed to send a message to her best friend Rowena, who arrived quickly and managed to save Geraldine, but was unable to save her friend. Laurentia Gryffindor was killed.

Rowena sent a message to Godric telling him to come back to Britain as soon as she could, while she took little Geraldine to a well-known healer of the time – Helga Hufflepuff. Although Geraldine was badly injured, Helga was able to save her life. Godric returned to find his wife dead, and his only daughter badly wounded. Rage filled him in a way he had never felt before. He headed back to the village where his family had lived and slaughtered the muggles; every single one of them. The village was a bloodbath, and no one would forget the sight of Godric Gryffindor holding a sword in one hand and a wand in the other, killing everyone he could find, magic radiating off of him in waves, his face in tears. If the muggles wanted to see death so badly, he would show them what death really was.

Godric then spent his time raising his daughter. He befriended the Potter family, who had constructed a castle with a heavy amount of wards and a fortress so that no one could enter their home and kill them in their sleep. Godric then decided to do the same and built a castle at the outskirts of the same village where he was born; now known as Godric's Hollow. Only when he was sure that his daughter wouldn't be attacked did he breathe a sigh of relief.

It was during this time that he had met his childhood acquaintance Salazar Slytherin, who Godric had heard was in a similar predicament like him. Salazar's family too was murdered when he was just a child and had grown up as an orphan, using his cunning nature to survive and manage his fortune. But unlike Godric, Salazar was more in control of his emotions and used his sly and cunning personality to win. He was not a battle mage like Godric, but he was very knowledgeable in obscure magical arts. When Godric found himself very troubled with his past, Salazar taught him how to control his thoughts and emotions, which was basically Occlumency. Godric also taught Salazar many of the battle spells which he had learned during his travels. It was during this time that their friendship deepened.

The two men realised that the witches and wizards were in grave danger, and thus the knowledge of magic was dying in their beloved country. The muggles seemed to have forgotten the time when King Arthur ruled their land hundreds of years ago when Britain's population of both magicals and muggles coexisted peacefully. It was then that Rowena came up with the idea of a school. The idea was accepted by Godric, Salazar and Helga, who had by then become Rowena's friend.

They chose a remote location in Scotland, in the middle of a forest, away from prying eyes. They had to ensure that no one trespassed and attacked innocent children. They pooled all their money and constructed a castle. They collectively used their knowledge of magic to erect various wards around the place, to make the castle a magical fortress, something which Godric remembered the Potters stressing about. Once construction was completed, Helga named it Hogwarts. The four then spread the message among the magical community, so that parents would send their children to the newly constructed magical school. Godric personally went to Potter Castle to talk to them, and soon, Alan Potter was the first student enrolled at Hogwarts.

As knowledge of Hogwarts spread, many more parents sent their children to the school, so that they could learn from the four learned witches and wizards. Godric specialized in Battle magic and Transfiguration; Rowena focussed on Charms, Runes and spell crafting; Helga specialized in Healing and Potions, while Salazar specialized in Rituals and other obscure arts of magic. Rowena even developed an open ward which was so large, that it could detect magical children born anywhere in the British Isles.

It was then that the problems of muggle-borns came to be. None of them were comfortable with magical children being raised by muggles, so finally Salazar came up with the idea of taking the children from their muggle parents, obliviating the parents of the knowledge of their children and fully integrate them into the magical world. Godric was very leery about taking children away from their parents; he couldn't ever imagine what he would do if someone took Geraldine from him without his consent. Helga pointed out that even if they took the children, they needed people to raise them, as the four of them couldn't do it themselves as they were very busy. While the plan was accepted by all four of them, Salazar acknowledged that it was very difficult to implement it.

It was some years later that Godric found out that his daughter and Alan Potter were seeing each other. He was quite happy with the union, and soon the couple married. Rowena too had a daughter named Helena Ravenclaw, who grew up at Hogwarts with her parents, as Rowena's husband shuffled between living at Hogwarts and going to Albania to take care of his family business. Helga had several children with her husband, who was the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts. Although he remained unmarried, Salazar too wanted children, so he adopted a young boy who was also a parselmouth and gave him his own name – Salazar Slytherin Jr. But Godric had years later always suspected Salazar to have had a biological child of his own; a girl who Salazar was very fond of and not to mentioned possessed the man's vibrant green eyes, but Godric never found out if the girl was indeed Salazar's daughter or not.

Salazar Jr grew up at Hogwarts, but he tended to be very arrogant, and he looked at everyone as his inferior. The boy also hated Godric with a passion, which annoyed his father, as Salazar and Godric considered each other brothers in all but blood. Sure the two men had their differences because of their opposite personalities as Godric was loud and brash while Salazar was calm and cunning, but they both counted on each other as family. This slowly created a rift between Salazar and his adopted son. Several years later, when Salazar Jr did something unforgivable, he banished his son from Hogwarts, telling him to never come back ever again.

By this time, the founders were not their youthful selves. Rowena's husband had passed away, and her daughter had disappeared, and so had her diadem. While witches and wizards lived much longer than muggles, emotional distress tended to make them age a lot faster in their later years rather than physical problems. Rowena was dying, and there was nothing Helga could do to prevent it. Even in her death bed, she craved and cried for her daughter, begging Godric to bring her back so that she could see her daughter one final time before she died. By the time Godric had found out that Helena Ravenclaw had been killed by the Baron, Rowena had breathed her last.

It had been a sorrowful time at Hogwarts after they lost Rowena. But the other three decided to move on, and ensure that Rowena's name would live on at the school. After a span of a few years, whispers began reaching the school that Salazar Slytherin Jr had started killing various witches, wizards and muggles alike, so that he could become the ruler of Britain. Salazar finally had enough of his son's actions, so he decided to go confront his son and end his life once and for all. Godric had wanted to come along with him, but Salazar refused, stating that this was an internal matter between father and son. Salazar left Hogwarts so as to stop Salazar Jr from killing any more people, against Godric's advice. That was the last time Godric saw his friend. There was no news of his death, but Godric had used an arcane spell to check if he was alive. He was devastated to find out that Salazar Slytherin had been killed by his son, Salazar Slytherin Jr.

By this time, Godric was old, and all the hardship that he had endured had weakened him. Salazar Jr launched a massive offensive at Hogwarts, hoping to take the castle by force, but was thwarted by the wards and the combined forces of Godric Gryffindor and Helga Hufflepuff; though Helga was the one who finally fought with Salazar Jr and killed him although she died due to her injuries, while Godric dealt with Salazar's forces. But the battle had severely weakened the aged warrior, and he soon left to spend his remaining days at Potter Castle with his family.

Harry finished narrating the tale to Daphne, who too had silent tears flowing down her cheeks as they both stared into the fire in the Room of Requirement. The story in Godric's journal was nothing like what was now said was history.

"How ironic" said Harry. "The man who everyone thought was a muggle lover turned out to be the opposite, and the man who everyone thought was a Dark Lord turned out to be murdered by his own son, while he was trying to stop the said son from committing mass murder. Our history is so crappy."

Daphne nodded. "It was Salazar Jr who wanted to wipe out muggleborns, not Salazar. History is confused and clouded, and everyone thinks the founder was the one who was evil. How sad. What is actually ironic is the way they all died, did you observe that?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Godric was a warrior who died of depression and old age; Rowena was highly gifted and intelligent, but died of a heartbreak; Helga was a healer and her House is said to be non-confrontational and are widely called as duffers, but she died a warrior's death after duelling and defeating Salazar Jr; Salazar was widely known for his cunning nature, but he let his heart overrule him, and rashly decided to confront his son and died in a duel with him. It's completely contradictory to their given traits."

Daphne sighed. "This will shake the country to its very foundations. Do you plan to publish it?" she asked.

Harry looked at the Gryffindor family ring glistening on his finger and answered, "Definitely. I have a duty as Lord Gryffindor to let the people know the real story of the founders of Hogwarts."

His eyes flashed green as he thought about the cause of so much misery – muggles, and their narrow-minded views and mindset. They just couldn't keep to themselves and mind their own business. They were the barbarians and freaks, not the magical races.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 35**

 **Sirius looked at diary which was suspended in mid-air. "What exactly is that diary?" he asked softly. Harry looked directly into his eyes and replied softly. "It's a Horcurx."**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** We finally reach the story of the Founders. I hope you liked it. And to anyone who guessed that Daphne was a tigress, kudos to you!

And let me address the person who is so hell bent on calling me names and bashing this story. I have a question; why do you fucking read my story if you don't like it? I never asked you to do so. If you think my story is rubbish, fine. Don't read it. I never claimed that my story was perfect; never have, never will. Yes, it is filled with clichés; I don't deny that. If there are similarities with other fics, there is nothing I can do about it because there are fucking tens of thousands of Harry Potter fanfictions out there! Do you think a similar idea wouldn't have flashed to different people? Why do you spend your time calling me names, knowing that I would delete the comment? If you don't like how the characters are portrayed, there is nothing I can do about it, as this is how I have written it. I'm an amateur writer who started writing less than two months ago; what did you expect? That I would be able to write on par with the greatest authors of the world? I can only improve as I go along. Again, if you don't like it, just stop reading it and move on. Get a life!

I would like to thank the rest of you for your support. Cheers! Oh, I would like to mention again that Harry's hatred of muggles does not mean that he becomes another Voldemort. His anger is justified, but that does not mean that he would kill every muggle that stands in his way.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Life at Hogwarts went on as normal. Harry continued to study and practice duelling at a furious rate. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team won the Quidditch cup thanks to Harry's spectacular performances as the team's seeker. The exams approached and Harry and Daphne sailed through them without any problems, although they had heard rumours that Hermione Granger had tried to sit for all the exams and her burned out. It seems even though she couldn't attend classes, she submitted the homework assignments for Muggle Studies and Divination as well, and so much work finally made her crack. Harry shook his head when he heard that; he just couldn't understand the girl's obsessive need to do homework and always be one who knew everything in books. While he understood that knowledge was very important, reading what was given in books and what was reality were different. Granger had already made quite a few enemies by her constant belittling of the magical world, which tended to annoy all of the purebloods and many half-bloods.

The results of the exams came out, and Harry and Daphne were tied for first place (Harry may be far ahead of Daphne in knowledge and duelling, but she was no slouch). Hermione Granger was shocked that she was not the first, even though she had taken more subjects as compared to Harry and Daphne. In fact, Granger had dropped to the fifth spot in their year, something which infuriated the girl.

But what else happened was that Remus Lupin was ousted as a werewolf. There was an uproar about that and Harry was sure that Dumbledore had something to do with it. While he couldn't forgive Remus Lupin for his inaction, maybe they could form a tentative friendship now that the man knew that Dumbledore was only using him. Harry went over and knocked on the door of Lupin's office. When he heard a come in, he entered.

"Hello, Harry" said Lupin in a weird voice. "Come in, take a seat."

Harry looked at the room and shuddered. "Something wrong?" asked Lupin, from where he was packing his stuff.

"Nothing" said Harry stiffly. "It's just the last time I was here, I was molested by Lockhart. And that's not a memory I want to remember."

"I heard that you resigned" said Harry quietly.

Lupin shrugged. "It was better than being booted out. Pretty soon the letters will start to arrive and parents wouldn't want me to be teaching their children. It's better this way" he said.

Harry stayed quiet. "Remus, I hope you realize now that Dumbledore - "

He was interrupted when he heard a growl. Lupin stared at Harry in anger and snarled "How could you, Harry? How could you expose me for being a werewolf? And now, you're trying to pin the blame on Dumbledore, thinking I would spy on him for you, aren't you? Well, if that's your intention, you can forget about it!"

Harry's expression went cold and the temperature dropped. "You think I was the one who exposed you?" he asked quietly. "That I would want you to spy on Dumbledore for me? I don't need you to spy on him for me. You're too blinded to figure out that Dumbledore is using you as his pawn. Once he saw that you were of no use, he exposed you and kicked you out as the Defence teacher. And yet you blame me? I came here hoping to somewhat mend our relationship, at least because of my father's memory. But I've changed my mind. It's just not worth it. And it looks like Sirius has figured out the same as well. Have a good life, Mr Lupin" said Harry, and he walked out of the room.

"I've become soft" he whispered to himself as he walked back to Ravenclaw Tower. "I won't make the same mistake again. I've forgotten the lessons I had learnt at the Dursleys."

After Ravenclaw was once again declared the winner of the House Cup, Harry and Daphne climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express, done with their third year at Hogwarts. Harry was especially happy, as the year had been very peaceful, not to mention he was able to take revenge on many of the students who had targeted him the previous year; all of them were repeatedly pranked and publicly embarrassed throughout the year, courtesy of Harry, Fred and George, the latter two who were more than pleased to help him out. He smiled and looked out of the window of the train. He was finally returning to Potter Castle for the summer.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

In the North Tower of Hogwarts, in a dingy classroom, a thin woman covered in beads and shawls suddenly looked up from her crystal ball. Her eyes were unfocused and she seemed to be having a seizure as she spoke –

" _It shall happen tonight"_ rasped Sybill Trelawney. " _The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant shall finally re-join his master and the Dark Lord shall rise again with his help, more terrible than ever before. Only the Lightning Lord can stop the Dark Lord and should he succeed, he shall be blessed by Death and bring about a golden age for the magical world that would last a hundred millennia. But should the Lord of Lightning fail, it shall be the beginning of terror and destruction that will wipe out all life on Earth. Tonight, before midnight, the servant shall finally re-join his master . . ."_

Trelawney coughed violently and sat down on her chair. She was feeling terrible; maybe she overindulged in cooking sherry. Oh well, might as well retire for the night.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry was pacing the floor in the enormous formal drawing room at Potter Castle. He had invited Sirius and Amelia to tea and had finally decided to come clean about the Horcruxes. The wards alerted him that the two Blacks had flooed to the castle and were on the way to the drawing room. Once they hugged him, tea and snacks were served.

"Alright" said Harry. "This isn't a social call. I called you here for a reason. And that reason is Voldemort."

Sirius and Amelia stiffened. "Voldemort? But he's been dead for nearly thirteen years. What do you want to talk about?" asked Amelia.

"He's not dead" replied Harry. He flicked his wand and a destroyed diary flew towards them, suspended in mid-air. "This is the reason why he's alive. And until we destroy every last one of them, Voldemort cannot be killed."

Sirius looked at diary which was suspended in mid-air. "What exactly is that diary?" he asked softly. Harry looked directly into his eyes and replied softly. "It's a Horcrux"

Sirius gasped, and fell back against the back of the sofa. He knew what that was but Amelia was confused.

"What's a Horcrux?" she asked. While Amelia was the Head of the DMLE, that didn't mean that she knew what it was. Horcruxes were a taboo subject and there were very few books on the subject and people didn't talk about it. Sirius only knew about it because he and Regulus had accidently found a book on the subject in the Black Library. Orion Black had been furious when he found out that his sons were reading such a book. Needless to say, both boys had been grounded by their father.

"A Horcrux is a piece of someone's soul which has been severed" answered Harry quietly, looking at the diary. "Once the piece of soul is put into an object, a person cannot die. In such a case, the person is in a sense, immortal."

"Voldemort actually created one?" asked Amelia, looking at the diary with dread.

"Not one, no" said Harry quietly, still looking at the diary. "He created six."

"Six?" yelled Sirius. "Was he insane? Tearing your soul goes against the laws of nature; against the laws of magic. To create not one, but six Horcruxes is more terrible that I can ever imagine. How do you know all this? Do you have any idea where they are?"

Amelia realised that this was the reason Harry had called her; she was the Head of the DMLE, and thus was under her purview to eliminate the threat. She curiously waited for Harry to continue.

Harry took a deep breath. "Out of six, four have been destroyed. I need Sirius's help to retrieve two more and destroy them. These are the Horcruxes I've already destroyed."

He flicked his wand and multiple objects appeared in front of them, slowly rotating in mid-air next to the diary. "The diary of Tom Riddle" said Harry quietly. "I destroyed it using Basilisk venom down in the Chamber of Secrets. The ring which belonged to the Gaunt family; I destroyed it with the sword of Godric Gryffindor which has been imbibed with basilisk venom. The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, long thought lost; I destroyed it by using the Killing Curse. An unintentional soul piece which was lodged in my scar; my elves used their brand of magic to destroy it."

Sirius's hands were shaking. "There was a Horcrux in your scar?" he whispered.

"Not any more Padfoot" smiled Harry, giving his godfather a tight hug. "It was removed and destroyed when I was seven years old. But I did gain Riddle's memories, which were transferred into my subconscious mind" said Harry. He then went on to explain to them how it worked, and how he came about Riddle's memories of him creating his Horcruxes.

"You said there were six of them" said Amelia after a few minutes of silence. "What are the other two?"

"The two are Helga Hufflepuff's cup and Salazar Slytherin's locket. The cup is stored in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts, and the locket was stolen by Regulus Black in an attempt to bring Voldemort down" said Harry softly, looking at Sirius.

Sirius's head shot up. "Reggie?" he whispered. He looked at the slip of parchment which Harry handed to him. Tears filled his eyes as he thought of his little brother. Regulus had only been thirteen when Sirius had run away from home. When they had met again at Hogwarts, Regulus had sadly told him that their parents didn't want him to talk to his brother any longer. Since Regulus was now the Heir of the Black family, he had to abide by such rules relating to family laid down by their mother, Lady Walburga Black. The brothers had hugged each other, and that was the last time Sirius had spoken to Regulus. He had wanted to speak to his little brother after that, but he didn't want Regulus to get in trouble with their mother. Last he heard, his parents had forced Regulus to join the Death Eaters and had died in their service, and now, it looked like his little brother had died a hero.

"Alright, Harry" said Sirius in a shaky voice. "I'll help you. In memory of my brother, let's destroy those contraptions."

Harry turned to Amelia and but before he could say anything, she said "Harry, as the Director of British Magical Law Enforcement, I have the right to keep such delicate information to myself. After all, there have been cases when the Director has been personally involved and not informed the rest of the department. As far as anyone is concerned, this was a case of highest security, and I handled it personally after receiving intelligence regarding the continued existence of Voldemort, which was a high threat to the people of Magical Britain."

Harry sighed in relief. He had hoped that Amelia would not insist on involving the rest of the Ministry and it turned out that his concerns were unwarranted.

"Thanks, Aunt Amy" said Harry, smiling at her. "Now, Sirius, I want you to get that cup from Gringotts; I'm sure you'll have no problems getting in. My grandmother's portrait informed me that you can disown Bellatrix and reclaim all her wealth; classifying her as a blood-traitor is just an added bonus. As for the locket, Voldemort used the services of Kreacher to place the Horcrux in a cave where it was protected. At first, I didn't make the connection; it was only after I realized that R.A.B was Regulus did I realize that Kreacher was the elf which Voldemort thought he had sacrificed in that cave. Ask Kreacher if he knows anything about the real Horcrux. Once you find both, don't do anything to it. Bring it here. I don't want such treasures destroyed" said Harry.

The next evening, Harry and Sirius were in the Lord's study at Potter Castle. In front of them were a golden cup and a silver locket.

"It's done. Bellatrix has been disowned by the Black family and is now considered a blood traitor. It was tricky to gain entry into her vault with old man Lestrange still out and alive, but the Goblins managed to do it without alerting him about my movements" said Sirius. "So, how do we destroy them?" he asked.

Harry didn't answer. Instead, he focussed on his anger and hatred, and once he felt that he was ready, he pointed his wand at the cup and said " _Avada Kedavra"_

When he said the incantation of the Killing Curse, Sirius yelped and moved away. A green jet of light flew from the tip of his wand and impacted the cup, which shrieked loudly and rattled. He looked at the locket and said " _Open"_

The locket opened, and it said in Riddle's voice "I've seen your heart, and it is mine."

"Oh, please" muttered Harry, rolling his eyes. He pointed his wand and said " _Avada Kedavra"._ The curse hit the locket, and the glass shattered leaving a wailing locket behind, which trembled and went silent.

"You can perform the Killing Curse?" asked Sirius, looking at Harry with wide eyes.

Harry shrugged. "It was necessary in this case, Sirius. Don't look so surprised. You know that I'm not the epitome of goodness. I have a dark side as well, but I ensure that it is kept in check."

"You would have made a picture perfect Heir of the Black family" muttered Sirius.

Harry laughed. "Don't think the Potters were any different Padfoot; you and my dad had a dark side too. Everybody does, but it just depends on how you control it. As long as you're in control, it's fine. But if your dark side controls you, you're in trouble. That's why I do my best to not use dark spells; I don't like the negativity it needs to power them."

Sirius nodded approvingly. "As long as you know that and know what powers those spells, you'll turn out alright. Just promise me that if you ever feel like you're losing control of yourself, you'll talk to me. Understood?"

Harry smiled and nodded. Finally, all of Voldemort's Horcruxes were destroyed. He only hoped that Voldemort himself was gone, but he held out little hope in that regard. He would have to face his destiny someday, and he would be ready for it.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Peter Pettigrew left the room where his master resided and shuddered. He hated dealing with that large snake but it had to be done. He didn't know how his life had become so miserable. It was going quite well until a few years ago when that blasted son of James had discovered him. He hadn't like Harry as a baby and he didn't like him now either. And Peter was sure that the feeling was reciprocated; both by baby Harry and by the teenager now.

Once Peter had faked his death, he had arrived at a wizarding house hoping to stay as a rat and listen to the news. But once young Percy Weasley had decided to keep him as a pet, Peter reasoned that this was a better life than Azkaban. And so the years went on, without him arousing suspicion; until one day he was attacked while in Gryffindor Tower. The next thing he knew, he was in the Wizengamot chambers, having Veritaserum being poured down his throat. He was very confused as to how that came to be but didn't have any time to ponder what had happened as he had been tossed into Azkaban. He had been there for two horrible years.

But one night, he was able to slip through the cracks in the anti-animagus ward, and this had allowed him to leave. He had stolen a wand that was in the hands of a sleeping guard and he had used that to find his old clothes – ones that secretly contained his Master's wand. The DMLE seemed to have missed it (he wasn't sure how, but he was so glad that some incompetent fool had checked his clothes) and once he had his master's wand, he escaped the dreaded island.

He knew that it would be very difficult to leave England, so he had to figure out a way to move without triggering the sensor net. Finally, he decided to use the Imperius Curse on a muggle who owned a small boat to ferry him across the English Channel, to France. It was very dangerous since he didn't know if the ward around the borders could detect if he hid as a rat and crossed the borders on a small boat, but he managed to reach France. He had to move quietly between various countries and avoid the magical and muggle governments, so as to not arouse suspicion. It had taken him a long time, but finally, he reached Albania, where his master was rumoured to be.

When he had stopped at an inn one night, he thought he was surely caught when he saw a British witch Bertha Jorkins, but that woman turned out to be incredibly stupid. His glamour charms were nothing exceptional, but Bertha didn't suspect him at all. Thinking that she might prove useful for his master, he overpowered her and brought her to his master's wraith. He then used a newborn infant and followed his master's instructions which enabled Voldemort to gain a rudimentary body. They had returned to Britain by a means unknown to Peter. Bertha had revealed a great deal, and now he was tasked to find out more about Barty Crouch and about the Triwizard Tournament. Oh well, anything was better than touching that damn snake. He shuddered when he remembered the incident when the snake swallowed that old muggle man. Oh, how he hated snakes!

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry finished getting dressed and looked at himself in the mirror. "You look handsome dear, I'm sure you'll impress your lady" said the mirror, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He was dressed in a white shirt, jeans, and wore a black leather jacket while sporting his dragon hide boots. Today was the finals of the Quidditch World Cup, and the teenager in him couldn't wait to get there. He could watch the game on the E-Mirror at home like he had done for rest of the matches, but since he had been able to get tickets in the Top Box for the finals, he couldn't resist.

He went down to the Entrance Hall, stepped into the fireplace and said "Greengrass Manor". Emerald flames enveloped him and he stood a few seconds later in the Entrance Hall of the very familiar Greengrass Manor. He flicked his fingers involuntarily and the soot disappeared. He climbed up the stairs and went to Daphne's room when he heard a whistle.

He turned to see Daphne smirking at him. "Looking very good, Harry. Dressed up to impress the Veela, huh?" she asked.

Harry smirked and slowly went over to her until he had cornered to the wall. She was looking stunning as well with black jeans; blue top, a jacket and the dragon hide boots which he had given her for Yule. Her wavy dark blonde hair was beautifully styled. He pinned her against the wall, putting his arms on either side of her to prevent her from trying to escape.

"The only Veela I see is the one standing in front of me" he said huskily, kissing her jaw. "In fact, I would go so far as to say that you're more beautiful and sexy than any woman alive, Veela or not. And I look good just to impress you, Milady."

Daphne moaned slightly as his lips found his way to her neck. "Thanks for the compliment, Harry, I appreciate it." But she found herself unable to form any coherent thought as Harry grabbed her and kissed her passionately. But their make out time was interrupted when they heard someone clear their throat. They turned to find a smirking Elizabeth Greengrass holding a smiling and giggling Dylan in her arms.

"There's a baby around, you know" she said, smirking further at the beet red faces of both teenagers. "Some would consider your display inappropriate."

"But Dylan's only a baby!" retorted Daphne. "He's too young to understand anything."

"Maybe so" replied Elizabeth. "But it's time for us to have a mother-daughter talk, don't you think Daphne?"

"Oh no" whispered Daphne, her eyes wide. "You aren't going to give me another lecture about sex are you?" she asked.

"You'll find out soon enough" replied Elizabeth with an amused expression on her face, walking away with her son.

"This was all your fault!" whispered Daphne furiously.

"How was this my fault?" whispered Harry defensively.

"You're the one who started it!" said Daphne.

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Did not"

"Did too"

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was noon when Harry, Daphne, Cyrus and Astoria portkeyed to the place where the World Cup was held. Harry and Cyrus were excited about the game and were talking furiously about the previous matches and how the teams would perform during the finals.

"Remind me why I'm here again?" grumbled Daphne.

"Because Daddy and Harry forced you to come" said Astoria, looking around with curiosity.

"Still, that doesn't mean we had to listen to them" said Daphne. She would never voice out loud or admit to anyone that Harry could get her to do pretty much anything when he pouted cutely and looked at her with those big green eyes. She just couldn't refuse him! She idly wondered how James Potter had handled his wife when she had those green eyes as well. She hated the smirk on Harry's face every time she cracked under those mesmerising green eyes. Well, she had a puppy dog face too that made Harry crumble, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Harry had made her come to a Quidditch match, one where he wasn't playing! It was going to be torture.

Harry looked around the various tents and finally found the one. "Aha. Here we are" he said. He went in and saw Sirius watching the semi-finals on the large E-Mirror. Daphne and Astoria looked at the men discussing Quidditch and rolled their eyes at them. Astoria spotted many of her friends, and after informing her father, went with them.

Daphne was bored, so she went out to look at the various stalls. She idly noticed that the International Statute of Secrecy was blatantly being violated when she felt someone slap her bum and put an arm around her waist. In a second, her wand was pointed at the boy's face.

"Hey, take it easy Daph, it's only me!" said Harry.

"We're in a public place, Harry. Behave yourself" hissed Daphne.

"Someone's in a bad mood" muttered Harry. "What's with the long face? We're at the finals of the Quidditch World Cup! Aren't you excited?" asked Harry, smiling at her.

"Not particularly"

"Oh, come on" said Harry. "Let's turn that frown upside down". He used his fingers to move her mouth in a way to make it seem like she was smiling. Daphne just growled.

"Ah ah, it's not very lady-like to growl, Daphne" said Harry cheekily. "Who's a good kitty? You are, yes you are!"

"If anyone else had dared to say something like that I would have cursed them into oblivion" snarled Daphne. "You're forgetting that I have sharp fangs and claws, Potter. I can snap your neck in one stroke."

"But you love me too much to do that, don't you?" asked Harry, playfully pinching her cheek. He kissed her forehead and said, "That's my girl."

Daphne shook her head in exasperation, but she couldn't help but smile at her fiancé. It was very rare for Harry to be this carefree and happy, as he was usually quiet and serious. She would watch a thousand Quidditch matches if only to make him smile and laugh. But she would never tell him that of course; he would probably drag her to very match possible.

They bought Omnioculars and several other goodies and went back to the tent. On the way, they met several of their schoolmates and spoke to them, and finally returned to the tent to find Cyrus, Astoria, Sirius and Amelia talking.

"I need a vacation" said Amelia, rubbing her forehead. "This World Cup has been one big nightmare. I'm so glad my department isn't involved in that another nightmare at Hogwarts."

Harry snorted. "I don't like the fact that they're doing it in the first place. It was discontinued for a reason. I think it's too dangerous; a disaster waiting to happen."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Astoria curiously.

"Sorry Tori, but we can't talk about it yet" said Cyrus with a smile. "Only Wizengamot members and people at the Ministry know about it as they wanted it to be a surprise for the students at Hogwarts. Suffice it to say, you'll have a very interesting year."

"Then how come Harry knows about it?" she asked stubbornly.

"Harry is a member of the Wizengamot" answered Cyrus patiently. "While he cannot sit on the body until he is seventeen, he is to be apprised on what goes on in there by his Regent, who in this case is his godfather. Now come on, it's time for the game."

They entered the gigantic stadium and climbed all the way to the very top. They found themselves in a box which had several purple and gilt chairs. They all sat down, and soon many important witches and wizards arrived. When Minister Fudge and the Bulgarian Minister of Magic arrived, Fudge loudly introduced Harry to the other Minister. Harry was quite amused that Fudge had not used the translation potion; really, it was quite expected for the Minister of Magic to do so. He calmly shook the Bulgarian Minister's hand and conversed with the man in his native tongue, much to the shock of Fudge. Harry and the Bulgarian Minister spent several minutes talking until finally, Lucius Malfoy arrived with his family. Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked at Lucius. He wished he could perform Legilimency on Draco to find out what they were up to because he felt something was fishy, but he didn't want to risk it in front of so many high-level witches and wizards.

Ludo Bagman soon began the commentary and the Bulgarian team mascots were revealed to be Veela, just as Daphne had suspected. Harry felt a small pull towards them, but he reinforced his Occlumency shields and gripped Daphne's hand tighter. When Daphne saw that her fiancé wasn't affected by the Veela, she was incredibly happy and gave him a kiss on the cheek in appreciation as there were very few men who could stand their allure. Once the Irish team mascots were announced, the match began.

Harry was very impressed with Victor Krum, especially his Wronski Feint; the enormous mirrors provided by Miller's Magic Mirrors showing the manoeuvre in slow motion. The mirrors were a hit all over the world, especially in the field of sports and entertainment. Branches were soon being opened in various countries and Harry was making a killing because he owned half the company. Finally, Ireland won 170-160, with Krum catching the snitch. With a smile, Harry and the rest of the group returned to the tent to pack up and leave home for the night; well, everyone except Amelia, as she still had a lot of work to do. But all in all, Harry thought it was an outstanding match.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 36**

 **The Lord of Lightning was finally here. Rain poured all over the world at the same time as Magic welcomed its saviour.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** I have always wondered how the Weasleys were given free tickets for the Quidditch World Cup, especially so many of them on the Top Box. My reasoning is that the Ministry did that because they knew that Harry would be coming with the Weasleys, and this was the only way they could get him on the Top Box with Fudge. That's why there are no Weasleys here.

Harry is now subject to another prophecy, though he doesn't know it. How does that work, anyway? How will the Department of Mysteries know when a prophecy is being made? Maybe someone has to give the recorded version to the DOM? Not sure.

Finally, all the Horcruxes are destroyed! And no, I won't be making Nagini a Horcrux because I don't think Voldemort could have made her a Horcrux before he regained a body. So that comes later.

Thanks for the reviews everyone!


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"I'm so glad I'm not an Auror anymore" said Sirius, stretching his arms. "There is no way I would want to risk my life by telling the Irish to stop celebrating. Oh, my poor wife. Sometimes I feel so bad for her."

Harry snorted. He completely agreed with his godfather. He looked at Astoria who was busy talking about the match to her bemused sister. He found it amusing that Daphne didn't care for Quidditch while Astoria loved it, even though she never played the game.

The next hour was spent eating slowly and chatting amidst laughter. Just when they decided to pack the tent and leave, they heard an explosion and screams outside. Harry and Daphne immediately got up, their wands in hand.

"Something is wrong" said Cyrus, looking out of the tent. His eyes went wide. "We're under attack. Tori, you're with me. Harry, Daphne, come with me, but if we're separated, head to the woods. You can Disapparate to the manor from there. Come on, let's move."

They got out of the tent, amidst screams of terror. Harry saw many people walking slowly, their wands aloft, with four bodies of the muggles high in the air, being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse. He recognised them immediately when they started firing more Cruciatus Curses at witches and wizards – Death Eaters.

Harry's blood boiled when he saw them attacking and torturing innocent children. "Daphne, try to find as many children as you can. Take them to safety. Use lethal spells; these bastards don't deserve mercy" he said, and walked towards the Death Eaters.

Harry twirled his wand, morphed into a man in his early twenties and started firing curses at them. The Death Eaters, who didn't expect any resistance, were quite shocked and pretty soon Harry was fighting five on one. He snarled as a Killing Curse came close to his body, though he was far too experienced to dodge it for it to do any damage. His power in the curses increased, and a red jet of light impacted one of the Death Eaters' arms. The man screamed in pain as Harry's Reductor curse cut off the man's arm. Harry created a large eagle of fire and one of the Death Easters was caught in it. Harry watched with satisfaction as it quickly burned through his clothes, and then took a bone breaking curse to the chest, courtesy of Harry. If the man remained without medical attention for long, he was as good as dead.

Suddenly, the Dark Mark was fired into the sky from the other side of the field. The Death Eaters took one look at it and quickly portkeyed away at once.

"Damn it!" snarled Harry. He wasn't able to put up Anti-Apparition and Anti-Portkey wards as he was duelling five at once. Besides, the Death Eaters were quite proficient with those wards, considering they used to put them up before an attack during the war.

He looked up and frowned when he saw the Dark Mark in the sky. He quickly ran to the place of the mark, hoping to catch whoever was behind it. When he approached there, he found a bunch of terrified children, being shouted at by a group of wizards. He tried to break through and it was quite dark, so he decided to get their attention.

" _Expecto Patronum"_ he whispered. The giant thunderbird Patronus burst from the tip of his wand and stood next to him, emitting light and happiness. He went forwards with a calm expression on his face when he heard Barty Crouch shouting at the children "I'm asking you one final time! Who was it? Which one of you cast the Dark Mark in the sky?"

"Wow, talk about shifting blame on others instead of doing his job. Now where have I seen you do that before, Crouch?" said a voice.

The witches and wizards parted, and they saw a man who appeared to be in his twenties, with an enormous Patronus by his side. Nobody recognized him, but everyone could practically feel him oozing magical power as if towering over them all. They watched the man come forwards, and kneel in front of the bunch of terrified children as he asked gently "Don't worry about that bad man over there. You did nothing wrong. We would just like to ask some questions about that bad mark in the sky. Will you answer those for me?"

"Just who do you think you are?" shouted Crouch, his eyes big and wide. "Aurors, arrest him!"

"Going to throw me in Azkaban without a trial like you did to my godfather, Crouch?" sneered the man, his face slowly morphed into the face of the very famous Lord Hadrian Potter. "Try it, and I'll have you executed by tomorrow morning."

Many of the people around gasped when they recognised the Boy Who Lived. The thunderbird patronus came forward, bathing the place in light and warmth. Harry immediately turned to the crying boy in front of him. He guessed that the boy was probably six years old, and so were his companions. He gave the young boy a hug and soothingly rubbed his back.

"Don't cry" he said softly. "We'll find your parents soon, alright? For now, can you please answer some questions? For one, what's your name?"

The boy sniffed and said "Adam Shaw". The other kids muttered their names as well.

"Nice to meet you all" said Harry smiling at the kids. "I'm Hadrian Potter, but you may call me Harry."

"You're the Boy Who Lived!" said one of the kids, looking at him with big, wide eyes.

"That's right" said Harry. "And I want to help you. But before I do, can you tell me if you saw anything in relation to that mark in the sky? You see, it's a bad sign of a bad man, and we want to make sure the people who caused all this are captured. Can you do that?" he asked soothingly.

Adam looked at the vivid green eyes of his childhood hero and said in a shaky voice "T-there was a m-man there. H-he said some s-spell and that t-thing came in the air. I don't know anything more."

With that, he broke down again, and Harry hugged him tightly. The thunderbird patronus came closer, bathing the children in warmth so as to make them feel better.

"Preposterous" yelled Crouch. "Clearly he was behind it! I - "

"A child who doesn't even own a wand firing a curse known only to Death Eaters?" asked Harry coldly. "Do you have a brain at all, Crouch? These are children, the fact that you're pinning the blame on them shows what a complete moron you really are."

"Do you know who I am, boy?" snarled Crouch. "You will address me with respect."

Harry didn't flinch. "I'll show respect to those who deserve it. And you, Crouch, will never be on my list of those whom I can respect. Just shut up and do your job instead of pinning the blame on innocent children. Search the area if you wish; if the kid is right, you might find Apparition traces or magical residue over there. Now get out of my way. I need to get these children to their parents, something which you couldn't be bothered with."

People were watching the display with their jaws hanging in shock. Many didn't know how to react as Crouch was the Head of a very important department in the Ministry, and Harry was the Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House, not to mention the Boy Who Lived. Harry didn't care about any of that. Instead, he asked the kids to follow him, when suddenly, people gasped.

"Is that a _Nundu_?" asked someone in awe.

A silver Nundu appeared in front of Harry. He nodded to it as it stood next to the thunderbird Patronus, leading the way. Harry slowly led the children to their forest where Daphne was surrounded by children and parents alike. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

"Adam!" A woman came up and hugged the little boy who again started crying once he found his mother. Many more hysterical parents found their children and hugged them. Harry went over to Daphne who greeted him with a hug as well.

"Thank you so much" said a man in a shaky voice. "You rescued our children. We don't know how to thank you."

"There is no need for that" said Daphne, standing beside her fiancé. "We did what any decent witch or wizard would do."

"You had better take them home" said Harry quietly. "Many of them are traumatised because of Barty Crouch yelling at them. You might want to file a complaint, though, as he accused your children of casting the Dark Mark in the sky."

Many of the parents gasped in outrage. They profusely thanked the couple again and they all Disapparated. Harry dispelled his Patronus after Daphne did the same, took her hand and Disapparated to Greengrass Manor.

When they entered several minutes later, they found Cyrus Greengrass pacing in the living room. When he saw them, he sighed in relief and shouted "Where were you? Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"

Without waiting for an answer, he took out a communication mirror and called Sirius. He informed the other man about their safe return and deactivated it. Pretty soon, Sirius arrived as well.

"Well?" snapped Sirius. "What do you two have to say for yourselves? I remember Cyrus telling you to go to the forest and Apparate home, so why didn't you?"

Harry and Daphne looked at each other and spent the next fifteen minutes explaining what had happened. Pretty soon, they were all sitting on the various couches, lost in thought.

"I never thought Barty Crouch could sink so far" said Sirius finally. "How could he accuse defenceless children to have conjured the Dark Mark?"

"I would like to know the same thing" said Elizabeth, frowning. "Those poor kids were probably traumatized."

"They were" said Harry quietly. "All of them were hysterical and only one boy was in control enough to tell me what happened and he too was crying. It was quite frankly disgusting."

"Whatever the case, I'm proud of you both" said Elizabeth, giving them a smile. Cyrus and Sirius nodded as well.

Once the adults left, Harry turned to Daphne and said "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I sure am glad you're mine. You're amazing, Daphne. I'm so proud of you."

Daphne smiled and nuzzled his face against hers as she whispered "I'm the one who should be proud of you; you fought five Death Easters at once, you saved those children from Crouch and delivered them to their parents. This is one of the reasons I love you so much. You have a big heart."

Harry smiled as he trailed kisses on the side of her face. Pretty soon, they were asleep on the couch with Harry lying on his back and Daphne's head on his chest, hugging him tightly.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, Elizabeth got up and made her way to the living room. She stopped when she saw the sight of her daughter sleeping next to her fiancé, her arms and legs wrapped around him and her head on his chest. She couldn't help but smile as she found it really adorable. She conjured a blanket and placed it on them and left the room.

She was sipping her tea when her husband came into the dining room in a daze. "Cyrus? What happened?" asked Elizabeth.

"Did I just see my eldest daughter hugging and sleeping next to her boyfriend?" he asked in a bland voice.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You mean her fiancé, and yes. They were probably too tired and must have fallen asleep there last night. Besides, it's nothing we didn't do at that age."

"But we were seventeen then" grumbled Cyrus. "They're only fourteen."

"Fourteen and betrothed" she clarified. "Just let leave them alone. I hope you didn't wake them."

Cyrus sighed. "No. I didn't. Still, why must I be put in such a situation where I must watch my children grow up and not need me anymore?"

Elizabeth smirked. "If that's the case, you wouldn't mind taking care of Dylan for the day, would you? I was planning on going shopping and you just accommodated me. Oh, aren't you sweet!"

With that, she walked away. Cyrus grumbled and said, "I knew that I shouldn't have married a fellow Slytherin." He started eating breakfast when Harry and Daphne slowly made their way to the dining room as well.

"Good morning. Slept well? I could see you were very comfortable" said a smirking Cyrus.

Harry's eyes went wide. "We can explain!" he said quickly.

"It's fine" grumbled Cyrus. "My wife already made me accept it and tricked me into taking care of Dylan for the day. Just know that if you hurt my daughter, I'll come after you with my wand blazing".

"Understood" said Harry.

"Daddy, we talked about this" said Daphne, her eyes narrowed.

Cyrus rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. Geez, could I go on without being attacked by one of you girls for a day? But noo, that's not how it works in this house. Be careful Harry. She'll trick you into doing things you would never want to do. She'll use your own words against you, and by the time you've realised what was going on, she would have left the room, with you wondering how you were tricked by her without even seeing it."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were complaining about me and not about your eldest daughter" said Elizabeth, coming back into the dining room, holding Dylan. She saw Harry snickering and Daphne throwing him filthy looks.

"Oh you don't have to warn him Daddy" said Daphne, helping herself to breakfast. "While I don't deny that I do that, he's a master at manipulating me too; making me go to that stupid Quidditch match yesterday is a prime example. Damn those green eyes" she muttered finally.

"Look at this" said Harry quietly, interrupting them. They all saw the large E-Mirror in the dining room was activated, showing the Magical Daily News.

 _"_ _Good morning to you all. This is a special report"_ said the reporter. " _The aftermath of the finals of the Quidditch World Cup was filled with trauma and confusion as many dark wizards chose it as an occasion to attack witches, wizards and muggles alike. These wizards, who were confirmed to have been Death Eaters, were disgusting in that they also chose to attack children."_

 _"_ _When the Death Eaters attacked, there was wide scale panic and confusion, which enabled them to continue with their attacks. We have received intelligence that Lord Hadrian Potter, Lord of Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, along with his fiancée Daphne Greengrass, eldest daughter of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass chose to remain behind to fight the Death Eaters. Indeed, Lady Daphne rescued many of the injured children and set up a camp near the forest so as to help them find their parents while Lord Potter fought five Death Eaters at once! Yes, viewers! A fourteen-year-old wizard fought against five grown-up wizards at the same time. He seems to have heavily injured two of them, though once the Dark Mark was fired by an unknown wizard, they all fled."_

 _"_ _It was at this time that five children around the age of six or seven years old were at the scene of the crime. It was said that Bartemius Crouch, the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation was yelling at the terrified children, asking them questions. It was at this time that Lord Potter came at the scene. It has been widely speculated after watching the scene that Lord Hadrian Potter might possibly be a partial metamorphmagus. When Mr Crouch was accusing the six-year-old boy to have cast the Dark Mark, Lord Potter got annoyed and rebuked him. He then calmly asked the young child if he saw anything and took the children to safety. Here is what happened -"_

The scene of the World Cup from when Harry entered to finally when he took the children and left was shown. Harry suspected that the Magical Daily probably took the Pensieve memory of one of the people present to show to clip. It accurately showed Harry trading barbs with Crouch, at the same time trying to calm the children. It even showed his and Daphne's Patronus.

" _There you have it, witches and wizards. A fourteen-year-old school boy was able to keep his head while the Head of one of our most important departments couldn't do so. What was Mr Crouch thinking when he accused a bunch of defenceless children to have cast the Dark Mark?"_

 _"_ _It is also astounding to see the form of Lord Potter and Lady Daphne's Patroni. Lord Potter's Patronus takes the form of a thunderbird, as it is well known that he has a thunderbird as a familiar. Lady Daphne's Patronus very shockingly takes the form of a Nundu! Yes, viewers, a Nundu. She definitely is a girl you don't want to mess with."_

 _"_ _The attack at the Quidditch World Cup has become an International incident, and this has been shameful for the British Ministry of Magic. Lady Amelia Black, the Director of British Magical Law Enforcement is furious as most of her Aurors and Hit-Wizards were not present to repel the attacks. Indeed, the DMLE has already begun an investigation, and it was found that many of the Aurors and Hit-Wizards were sent back to the Ministry as well as on patrols at Diagon Alley, Godric's Hollow, Hogsmeade and other places on the orders of Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, Madam Dolores Umbridge. It is not known why she did so, as Madam Umbridge does not have the authority to order the employees of the DMLE, although reports by many have claimed that she threatened them with their jobs if they did not do as she ordered. Lady Black is understandably furious at the way her department workers were treated and is preparing plead her case to the Wizengamot in the next session."_

 _"_ _Why are dark witches and wizards running unchecked in our country? Why do we let such people roam free who take pleasure in torturing our children? What do Minister Fudge and Madam Umbridge have to say about this? How was Madam Umbridge involved in those attacks at the World Cup? Stay tuned for more news. This is Steve Green, reporting for the Magical Daily News."_

"You're a metamorphamagus?" asked Cyrus shocked.

Harry nodded and changed the features on his face. He morphed back and said "A partial one, yes. I can only change the features of my face and hair. I honestly hadn't expected it to be kept a secret for this long. I had thought that it would be revealed a year ago. Oh well, I knew it would come out sooner or later."

Harry's eyes narrowed when he thought about Dolores Umbridge. She was a nasty woman, who she hated magical creatures and muggleborns with a passion and was doing her best to round them up. He would have to do something about her as she was interfering with his plans.

"Harry you've packed your dress robes, haven't you?" asked Daphne suddenly.

"Huh?" said Harry, breaking away from his thoughts. "Oh, you mean for the Yule Ball. Yes, I have. We can go shopping if you'd like; change the colours and maybe buy you a dress as well."

"I sure am glad you weren't in school when I was a student" muttered Cyrus. "You probably would have had a harem and denied us all a chance to date girls."

Harry and Daphne looked at each other and both suddenly burst out laughing. Daphne had tears in her eyes as she gasped out "Harry having a harem? I would kill to see how he would handle that! He would probably run away rather than face a bunch of angry wives."

"No thanks, Cyrus" said Harry grinning. "My dad would have been overjoyed if I did have a harem, but there is no way I would ever do that to Daphne. She's my one and only" he said, hugging her from behind and kissing the top of her head.

Cyrus shook his head and smiled slightly. He sure was glad that Daphne was betrothed to Harry. He wasn't worried about the boy at all; he just pretended to so as to show his protective father persona. But he was terrified what kind of boy Astoria would choose.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was the last week before the school was set to start. Rain lashed against the windows of Potter Castle. Thunder could be heard and lightning flashed across the horizon. Harry stood in the middle of the grounds of the castle, with a thunderbird by his side. He was soaking wet, but he didn't care.

" _Concentrate now"_ instructed Aquila. " _You are in control. You control the storm; the storm does not control you. The lightning powers you; use it. Let the lightning infuse your body. There is no distinction between you and the lightning. You are both the same; merge with it; control it. Release it."_

Harry was glowing. His skin was emitting a white light; his hair was pure white in colour and his fingertips were glowing as well. His eyes were closed as he concentrated on the storm. He raised both his arms sideways, with his fingers pointing towards the sky. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck him. Harry screamed.

" _You are in control"_ repeated Aquila. " _The lightning is you; there is no difference. Let is merge with you. Control it . ."_

Harry screamed in pain like he had never screamed before as the current of the lightning bolt coursed through his body. He thought he was going to die; the pain was unbearable. No, he couldn't give up. The magical world needed him. He made a vow that he wouldn't abandon them. Daphne needed him. Aquila believed in him and Harry didn't want to let the thunderbird down. He snarled and pulled the lightning bolt into himself. The current and the lightning's inherent magic seeped into his body as he took control. He was the one in control; the lightning was his. He created it and he powered it.

He screamed and let out a blast of lightning into the sky from each of his fingertips from both hands. Harry's eyes glowed bright green, but you could see lightning bolts in the orbs. His entire body was charged with current and magic. Aquila bowed down to the Lord of Lightning, just as Harry climbed on him.

It was a sight to been seen. Hadrian Potter, Lord of the Potter and Gryffindor families, was sitting on his Thunderbird familiar who was flying in the sky, lightning bolts flying from his fingertips as he finally was prepared for his destiny as the Lightning Lord.

Magical and non-magical creatures alike everywhere bowed to the Lightning Lord, the saviour of magic, the one to bring back glory to the planet; their saviour from certain destruction. The house elves in the manor and all over the world kneeled down as a mark of respect; Centaurs let a stream of arrows at the sky; merpeople sang songs; dragons let out a breath of fire at the sky; goblins looked at the sky and gave a warrior style salute; Nundus roared and bowed down in respect; High Elves looked up at the sky and smeared mud on their foreheads; Unicorns neighed and bowed to the lightning bolts in the sky; Fawkes and other phoenixes trilled and sang beautiful songs for the future of the magical world; thunderbirds bowed down to their master and king and many other species followed suit.

The Lord of Lightning was finally here. The storm raged all over the world at the same time as Magic welcomed its saviour.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry packed his trunk, told Hedwig to fly to Hogwarts and cajoled Tango into his cage and flooed to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He quickly found a compartment amidst stares and hungry looks from many of the girls and went inside. He sighed. Harry knew that he had grown taller during the summer and he had to admit he was quite good looking (He shuddered when his picture had appeared on the cover of Teen Witch Weekly just a few days ago, saying that he was the hottest teenager in the country), and this made him a target for many of the girls in school.

Harry was now standing nearly six feet in height, which for a fourteen-year-old boy was quite tall. Due to the vigorous exercises and martial arts he did every day, his muscles were well defined. He was also sporting six pack abs, a fact he was very proud of. His silky albeit a bit messy black hair went all the way to the base of his neck, touching his shoulders and Daphne loved to run her hands through it every time they made out. His facial features were better defined now as well and so he attracted attention wherever he went just by his looks alone.

There was a knock on the door and Daphne entered the compartment. She gave Harry a quick kiss and proceeded to levitate her trunk to the rack above. Daphne too had developed over the summer. She was tall and stunningly beautiful, and some would probably have thought she was a Veela at first glance. Her deep blue eyes and rosy pink lips highlighted her already pretty face. Dark blonde hair with slight waves in them ran down to the middle of her back. Her breasts and curves had developed very nicely and boys couldn't help but stare at her when she passed by. The two were considered the best looking boy and girl in the school and Cyrus Greengrass had a right to be worried.

Soon, their friends came into the compartment as well. The train started moving and Harry and Neville were busy discussing the Quidditch finals when the door to the compartment opened. Harry rolled his eyes when he saw who it was. He should have put up a notice me not charm on the door.

"What can do for you Draco?" asked Harry with a smile.

Malfoy was thrown off guard for a second when Harry greeted him with a smile. He blinked owlishly for a few seconds and recovered.

"So . . . are you going to enter, Potter?" said Draco snidely. "A glory hound like you wouldn't hesitate to compete right? More fame would only add to that big head of yours."

Harry looked at Malfoy with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You don't know?" asked Draco, laughing loudly. "My father heard it from Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself. I thought you would know, after all, you wouldn't miss this opportunity to show off would you?" he said and laughed.

Harry sighed and sat back in a comfortable position. "Oh my dear Draco, would you ever once use your brain? You're forgetting who you're talking to. Unlike you, I'm a member of the Wizengamot, so even if I don't sit on the body yet, I'm apprised on what goes on in there. That being said, I'm _shocked_ that your father told you about such confidential information that was to be kept a secret. I guess we have to inform the Wizengamot Administration Services and the press that Lord Malfoy didn't care about the secrets of the Ministry. If he blabbed to you, who knows to who else he could have mentioned it to? It could become a _disaster_ for him if people think that he's not fit to be a member of the Wizengamot, don't you agree? Run along now" he said. Draco was white as a sheet, and with a flick of Harry's wand, he and his goons were thrown out of the compartment.

"And that's how the Potters do it" muttered Harry, putting his arm around his fiancée.

"Ahm, Harry" said Tracy tentatively. "We all know what's going on at Hogwarts this year. Was it really supposed to be confidential?"

Daphne laughed. "The tournament is an open secret, Tracy. Many of us know about it, but the general student population doesn't because the Ministry wants it to be a surprise. Harry did that just to make Malfoy wet his pants, nothing more."

Harry smirked.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 37**

 **After he provided them with instructions on what to do, the elves promised to harvest the basilisk for any useful parts. After that, Harry began searching for an alternative exit. The pipe couldn't be the only entrance.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** I always wondered why the Aurors were not there to capture the Death Eaters in Book 4. There were probably a dozen Death Eaters, so why couldn't the Aurors use their superior numbers to capture them? Not really sure.

Don't worry about the escaped Death Eaters or Umbridge; I have something special for them, especially our favourite toad. She'll croak until she can never croak again. As for her ordering the Aurors and others of the DMLE, I have a few words for you – corruption, bribary and blackmail. That's probably how she became Undersecretary in the first place. Really, can you imagine anyone hiring Umbridge of all people? I rest my case.

Someone asked me if I am going to involve the crystals and mirror for the tasks. Hehehe (laughs evilly).

Alright, I would also like to mention that minor lime scenes will begin from Year 4. They won't be graphic, but they will be present. After all, we have two hormonal teenagers who practically spend all their time together. What else can you expect? So fair warning!


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Several hours later, they reached Hogsmeade station. It was raining heavily at this point, and people were reluctant to get out. Harry and Daphne calmly got out and pointed their wands in the air. A small flick of light appeared at the tip of their wands as invisible magical umbrellas protected them from the rain. Getting the hint, the rest of the students used their wands to remain dry as well and soon they entered the carriages and into the castle. Harry walked to the Ravenclaw table and sat next to his year mates and started chatting with them about their summer. When the first years arrived, many of them were shivering due to the cold since they were soaking wet. Harry frowned. Surely McGonagall could fire some drying charms on those poor kids. Harry pointed his wand at them and started casting warming and drying charms at the first years. Only when he was finished did anyone realise what he had done and the first years blushed and thanked him while McGonagall went pink in the face. Soon, the sorting began and the students were sorted into their houses.

"I have many announcements for you" said Dumbledore smiling at everyone. "But first, tuck in!" With that, the food appeared on the tables and everyone happily started eating.

Harry was happily chatting with various Ravenclaws when Padma Patil asked, "Who's going to be our Defence teacher this year?"

That question brought conversations to a halt as many were curious as well. "There's no one here" said Terry Boot, looking at the staff table. "Maybe Dumbledore will teach us again?"

"I doubt it" said Harry. But just then the food vanished and Dumbledore got up to speak. There was a hush in the hall now as Dumbledore gave his usual speech. "Now, I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

But he was interrupted when the door of the Great Hall banged open with a thud. Harry turned and his eyes widened when he recognised the person standing there. If Alastor Moody was going to be their new Defence teacher, it was going to be a fun ride indeed. He had read from his father's journal that Moody was an outstanding Auror, and he was hard as nails. This would be a wonderful educational opportunity.

Dumbledore introduced the school to their new Defence teacher and continued said "We are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley and this set off the school as everybody laughed. Dumbledore then explained about the tournament and about the new rule that only those who were above the age of seventeen could take part in it. He said that an impartial judge would select the champions who will compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory and five thousand galleons personal prize money.

Harry narrowed his eyes. Something about the way Dumbledore spoke about it seemed off and he wasn't going to take any chances. He would be damned if he were to be forced to participate in this madness. He would have to take necessary steps to ensure that nothing unusual happened. Once the announcement was done, Harry returned to Ravenclaw tower and spent several hours talking to his housemates. Girls especially were eager to talk to him which made Harry a bit uncomfortable. Finally, at two in the morning, he entered his room, made his annual changes and went to bed.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry was seething once Care of Magical Creatures class was finished. What was Dumbledore thinking in appointing Hagrid as a teacher? While there was no denying that the half-giant knew a lot about magical creatures, he just couldn't understand that many of those creatures were dangerous and deadly to witches and wizards. He wondered if Hagrid would have been expelled anyway without Riddle's interference all those years ago.

He looked at Daphne who had a frown on her face too. So instead of heading for lunch, they stayed behind and approached him.

"Hagrid, can we talk to you?" asked Harry quietly.

"Harry! O' course, wha' can I do fer you?" asked Hagrid.

"Hagrid, I know that you think these creatures, those Blast-Ended Skrewts are interesting, but they are not part of the syllabus for the year and thus you leave us at a disadvantage for our OWLs" said Harry patiently. He was not going to allow them to be attacked by those creatures, so he decided to put a stop to it immediately. "You have also bred a Firecrab with a Manticore; a Class Five beast and this was the result. Let me put it this way; you have blatantly violated the Ban on Experimental Breeding, and if anyone reports you or is injured in class, you could very well be put in Azkaban". Hagrid paled at this. "My advice is to keep those creatures far away from the students and stick to the material provided. There are so many beautiful creatures you can introduce us to, like unicorns. If you bring magical snakes, I don't mind talking to them and translate to the rest of the class. But get rid of those creatures Hagrid. It's for your own good as well as ours."

With that, Harry and Daphne walked back to the castle. They walked into the Entrance Hall and saw the spectacle of Moody bouncing Draco Malfoy, who was transfigured into a ferret. With a smile on their faces, the couple entered the Great Hall for lunch.

The next day, Harry had Defence with the Gryffindors. He entered the classroom and sat next to Neville. They were idly taking when Moody entered the room. After he finished taking the roll call he began.

"So, right to it" said Moody gruffly. "Who can tell me what Unforgivable Curses are?"

Harry's head snapped up. Well, he had no objections with Moody teaching them about them, but he could feel Neville shudder right next to him. He would have to keep an eye on his friend.

Hermione Granger's hand shot up as usual. "There are three" she recited. "They are the worst curses one can perform and use of any one of them on a human being is automatic life imprisonment according to International Wizarding Law."

"Correct" said Moody. "Can anyone name them? Which is the first curse?"

Many people raised their hand and finally, Ron Weasley answered "Ahm, the Imperius Curse?"

"Ah yes" replied Moody. "Your father would know about it. Let's see how it works". With that, he took out a spider from a jar and said " _Imperio"._ The class laughed when the spider found itself on many of their fellow students, but Harry didn't. He watched Moody with narrowed eyes. Explaining about the curses was one thing, but showing them was something else, and he didn't like it.

"You think it is funny, do you?" snapped Moody. "How would you feel if I put it on you and made you do all sorts of things, like commit murder?"

The class became silent once more. "Anyone knows another?" he asked the class.

Neville tentatively raised his hand. Harry was shocked because his friend was shaking from head to toe and he idly wondered if he should take Neville out of the class. "T-the Cruciatus Curse" he said.

Moody's eye twitched when he asked for Neville's name. He went back to the spider, enlarged it and said " _Crucio!"_ The spider twitched horribly as if it was being cut off into separate pieces. Harry saw Neville shake violently and so decided to take action.

Moody was concentrating on the struggling spider until suddenly, the spider was pushed away from his wand, and it landed on the other side of the table. The spider relaxed once the curse was lifted. Moody looked around to spot Harry Potter wearing an expressionless look on his face as he said softly but firmly, "That's enough. I think they've got the gist of how it works."

"Really?" asked Moody, limping towards Harry. "Then why don't you explain to the class about how the Unforgivables work then Potter? Maybe you can tell us about the third curse as well."

"Very well" said Harry in a flat voice. He spoke softly, but his voice could be heard all over the room. "The three curses are called unforgivable because there is no blocking them. The third curse is the Avada Kedavra, also known as the killing curse. No magical shield can stop them. The only way to make sure you're not hit when you see the curses coming at you is if you dodge, thereby avoid getting hit or if you conjure something in its path – like stone. All the three curses, like many of the true dark magic spells, require negative emotion to power them. Just pointing your wand and saying the curses aren't enough. You need to mean them, which is why these curses are hated so much. You would want to cause pain or kill for them to work. And I really don't think demonstrating them in class is a good idea."

"Really?" said Moody, a sadistic grin on his face. "You don't agree, do you? Sorry for that Potter, but the students here need to know. You're quite familiar with the last one aren't you?" He summoned the spider to Harry's table and snarled " _Avada Kedavra!"_

A pale green light flew from the tip of Moody's wand and hit the spider and it rolled over, dead. "Not nice, not pleasant. Only one person has ever survived it, and he's sitting in front of me" said Moody. Harry looked at Moody with a blank expression, but his eyes were filled with rage.

Once the class ended for the day, Harry quickly grabbed a reluctant Neville and they headed to the Astronomy tower. After climbing the stairs, Neville again asked, "Harry, what are we doing here?"

Harry didn't answer. Instead, he conjured two comfortable reclining chairs for them both and made Neville sit. He called for a Hogwarts house elf who provided them with snacks and drinks.

"I've brought you here so that Moody couldn't mess with your mind further" Harry explained. "I have to say, I expected a lot from the man, but he's been a disappointment. Showing the Unforgivables in class is unethical."

Neville remained silent. They sat in silence for several minutes until finally, Harry asked, "Do you know the reason why your parents were attacked in the first place?"

Neville's eye twitched. "I don't want to talk about it" he said firmly.

"Do you or do you not?" said Harry.

"What reason could there be?" snapped Neville. "They were Aurors, and so were bound to be a target for Death Eaters."

"No" said Harry. "That's not why they were targeted. They were targeted because of a prophecy that was made before we were born."

"What?" asked Neville, stunned.

Harry spent the next twenty minutes giving the same speech he had given Daphne more than two years ago.

"Snape!" snarled Neville, getting up as he started pacing. "I'll kill that bastard with my own hands. How dare Dumbledore hire that monster and make him teach children? I had completely forgotten about this."

"Exactly my point" said Harry calmly. "There is nothing we can do about those already in Azkaban except maybe move a resolution in the Wizengamot once we're adults to execute them through the Veil of Death. But what we can do is move against the rest."

"What are you talking about?" asked Neville, his eyebrows raised.

"Dumbledore painted a target on our families" said Harry firmly. "Nev, you could very easily have been the Boy Who Lived, with Voldemort going after your parents. Who knows what Dumbledore did so as to mould his two perfect weapons for his cause? Not to mention the whole chunk of Death Eaters out there who bailed out using the Imperius Curse excuse. You saw what happened at the Quidditch World Cup; do you think they'll stop at that? Look around you! Our batch is comprised of only forty students! Can you imagine the amount of death and destruction caused by the war that left us at this state? We need to do something if are going to save our society and our way of life. First it was Grindelward, though he didn't cause much problems in Britain, he caused a lot of destruction abroad; then it was Voldemort who killed so many witches and wizards and who's going to be next? The muggles? If we don't protect ourselves we could all be wiped out! If we have selfish, delusional and insane leaders like Dumbledore or Voldemort and incompetents like Fudge, we can kiss the magical world goodbye. I'm not going to stand for it. This is our home, Neville! It is our job to protect it, and not let it be destroyed by senile old men or some muggle barbarians! Unless all of us join hands, we're doomed. Let our parents' sacrifice not be in vain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Neville stayed quite for a minute, looking out towards the grounds as the wind blew in their faces. "I do understand" he said finally. "I'm with you Harry. Let's catch those bastards who are the cause for all this and let's build a world worth living in."

With that, the two shook hands. Harry had just secured the alliance of the future Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom and if Daphne's observations were accurate, the future Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Bones as well.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Two days later, Harry was once again furious as he sat in the Defence classroom. What was up with Moody? This didn't sound like the great man his father had described. While Moody was tough, he would never suggest placing the Imperius Curse on students! When it was finally Harry's turn, he calmly walked to the middle of the class.

Moody pointed his wand at Harry and said " _Imperio"_

To everyone's immense shock, Harry didn't react. Instead, he smirked. Moody frowned and repeated " _Imperio"_

"Something wrong with your wand, Professor?" asked Harry, smirking at Moody. Those with advanced Occlumency shields could counter the Imperius curse, so it didn't even affect him.

"Well, that's more like it" said Moody gruffly, though he couldn't hide the look of shock on his face. "Well done, Potter."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was Friday night on the second week of school. Harry discreetly walked to the first floor girl's bathroom. He locked the door and noticed that Myrtle wasn't there. He was about to open his mouth to speak the password when he paused. Dumbledore knew the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets as Harry had shown it to the entire school. Surely the old man must have tried to access the chamber himself or at least alert him if Harry opened it again?

With that in mind, Harry scanned the sink, and sure enough, there was a ward that would alert Dumbledore if the sink moved, and another was a listening ward which would probably record the parseltongue password if Harry ever spoke it. Rolling his eyes, Harry disabled both wards. Once done, he checked for any additional wards and once he was satisfied, he hissed " _Open"_

The sinks parted and Harry jumped in. Once he reached the tunnel, he called for his elf, but he frowned when no elf came to him, and that's when he realised that there must be anti-elf wards in place. Very few people used that ward as many had house elves of their own, and this was the trick the Potters and Blacks used to their advantage. He crossed the tunnel and opened the giant stone doors after repeating the password.

Once inside, he walked to the giant seventy foot long basilisk and looked at it "Forgive me, O noble creature" whispered Harry to the corpse. "You were just following Riddle's orders, and you couldn't differentiate between friends and enemies in your old age. I'm sorry that your death was necessary. May Magic bless you and your soul find purpose again."

Harry activated his mage sight and looked around the chamber. He was sure that this place contained more than just the basilisk; he wanted to find Salazar's secret room. He walked to the statue and he sensed a ward there. He spent the next one hour examining it, until finally he was able to disable them and he hissed " _Open"_

To his shock, a blood ward activated, barring him entry. A pedestal appeared, just like the one that was protecting Godric's chamber as well. Harry didn't know what to do. What defences would he trigger if he failed to breach the blood ward? Would he be attacked by some obscure curse? After a minute of pondering about what to do, he finally decided to give it a try. He waved his hand over his palm and a deep gash appeared. Bracing himself, he let the drops of blood fall on the pedestal. After seven drops, the pedestal glowed, so he healed his wound with another wave of his hand and tried to step back. To his immense shock, his feet were stuck to the ground. Just when he thought of using his animagus form to escape, the wall in front of him parted with a soft hiss.

Harry was astounded. How had he managed to pass the blood ward? Did that mean what he thought it meant? But how was that possible? He had extensively studied the Potter family tree, and there were no records of any descendants of Slytherin being married into the family. He nervously entered the room, and just as he walked in, lighting charms activated, bathing the room in light.

His jaw dropped when he saw the place. It was empty! He frowned and extended his senses and he sensed another blood ward. Just as he had suspected, another pedestal appeared. But what was shocking about this was that it contained a piece of parchment as well. Harry slowly waved his hand over his palm again and the gash appeared. He let the drops of blood fall on the parchment, until finally, after the ninth drop, writing appeared on the parchment.

Harry quickly healed his wound, and looked at the writing. It was clearly written in parsel script, but he could understand what was written.

 _Dear descendant,_

 _I am Salazar Slytherin, the last member alive of this once noble family. I am about to go confront my adopted son, but before I do, I want to ensure that my true descendants would be able to access this place and know of their ancestor. If you're reading this, then Amarantha must have told you about this place. She assured me that she would tell her descendants one day about me hiding the Slytherin fortune and titles here in my chamber at Hogwarts. I hope the time is right for you to re-claim what is your right by birth._

 _I was orphaned when I was ten years old. My family were murdered by a bunch of muggles. I was devastated, but I had to take care of myself. I didn't trust anyone to take care of me because there were many who were jealous of my family's wealth and would have done everything possible to steal it from me. So I raised myself to be cunning and grew up in the shadows, and learnt about the most obscure forms of magic that interested me. I went abroad when I was old enough and learnt from various tribes who taught me more obscure rituals and magic. I have always been ambitions, and I wanted to achieve something great. That's when my life took an unexpected turn._

 _When I finally met Godric Gryffindor, he was in a bad shape. The man too had lost his family to those filthy muggle barbarians and was doing his best to take care of his young daughter. We bonded over that and learnt magic from each other. Through Godric, I met Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, two very gifted witches. Together, we created this school – Hogwarts._

 _I didn't marry anyone at that time, but I wanted a child of my own, so I adopted a young boy and gave him my name – Salazar Slytherin. Oh, how I wish I knew that I was raising a boy who would be the cause of so much pain. I am so glad that I did not blood adopt him. If he had access to the Slytherin family magic, he would be more powerful than he is now. I only hope I can reason with him. He grew up very arrogant and had an intense dislike for Godric and saw the rest of the students as beneath him. I had warned him against doing so, but he didn't listen. When he was eighteen, he attacked a bunch of students, intending to molest them, and that's when I threw him out of the castle. We consider women to be sacred; the ones who are blessed by Old Magic to be able to create life. The fact that he could even think of something so atrocious still makes my blood boil._

 _Several years later, there was a young student. Her name was Evangline Noma, and after she finished her studies, she apprenticed under me. Though she was thirty years younger than me, I couldn't help but fall in love with her as we had several things in common, including the fact that we both were orphans. She too loved me, but she said that society wouldn't accept our relationship, given our great age difference, not to mention the fact that I was her mentor. If such a relationship was known to the magical public, they would stop sending their children to Hogwarts, fearing for their safety. So we got married in secret and pretty soon, she found herself pregnant._

 _We were very happy about that, but we were also scared. She hid her pregnancy, but nine months later, she died in childbirth. Oh, how I wish I could have asked Helga for help, but discretion was our focus. I was devastated, but when I saw the beautiful baby girl who was in my arms, I knew I couldn't let Evangline down. I named our daughter Amarantha Evangline. She is named after an old Greek flower, and as I understand it, it is a tradition she seems to have followed in her family in that she names the female members after a flower. I decided to give her mother's name as well, so that she could honour her mother for the rest of her life. She also seems to have inherited my green eyes and so have her children. It is a trait in my family that all of the Slytherin children have emerald green eyes._

 _If you're reading this, then that means you passed the blood ward that I placed around this room. Please do not disturb the basilisk unless the castle is under attack. Give her specific orders, but try to leave her alone. Call her to battle against the muggles only if all is lost, as innocent witches and wizards could die in the attack as well. But it is better to die by the stare of a basilisk rather than being mutilated by those filthy muggles._

 _And that brings me to muggleborns. I had a beautiful plan that would integrate them into our society by obliviating the muggles and taking and raising the magical children ourselves. This would ensure that we are not compromised. It is difficult to trust the muggleborns as I'm not sure if they will betray us to the muggles. But at the same time, I can't help but feel sorry for them. My idea of fully integrating them wouldn't be possible right now as Helga pointed out to me; raising Amarantha was difficult, and I can't imagine raising hundreds of children. Hogwarts is a school, not a nursery. If it is possible, please work on it. Use the Slytherin title and try to work things out in the Wizard's Council. You'll probably save many lives._

 _My daughter grew up at Hogwarts under the watchful eyes of those faithful house elves. Rowena discovered that Amarantha was my daughter, but she agreed to remain quiet, although I'm sure Godric suspects it as well. Amarantha grew up to be a fine young woman and I couldn't be more proud of her. She met a young man in Greece and fell in love with him. I'm happy that my dear daughter has found love and happiness. Her husband even named their children after Evangline when he realised how much Amarantha's last name meant to her, and I can't help but admire him. Merlin, that boy is powerful. He can probably give Godric a run for his money in terms of sheer magical power. In the end, my son-in-law turned out to be a better son than Salazar could ever be._

 _But now, I have to go confront my son. Thinking about killing him makes my heart ache, but I shall do it. He has killed many witches and wizards in his bid for power, and I cannot let that happen. Salazar seems to have a family of his own, but what can I do? He is terrorizing people using my name, and I have to put a stop to it. Godric has volunteered to come with me, but I can manage on my own. I am confident I shall return to Hogwarts triumphant._

 _My dear descendant, please accept the ring and magic of the Slytherin family. It shall help you in your future endeavours as I'm sure you'll go on to do great things. My blessings are with you always._

 _May you always succeed and Mother Magic be by your side._

 _Salazar Slytherin._

Harry looked at the piece of parchment, his eyes brimming with tears. Here was a wonderful man who did his best for the people of the country, but he has now been vilified and hated for nearly a thousand years. He felt like ripping apart Hogwarts: A History for all the lies it has sprouted about his ancestor Salazar Slytherin. His ancestor . . .

His mother was the true descendant of Salazar. The Evangline line must have suffered something drastic that made the last witch or wizard lose their magic, but their traditions and names never vanished. It was very evident in the fact that even after a thousand years, the daughters were named after flowers – Petunia and Lily. And the magic had once again manifested in Lily Evans, giving her the vivid green eyes of the Slytherin family. Oh, how he wished his mother was alive to witness this! He realised that Tom Riddle was the descendant of the adopted son – Salazar Slytherin Jr. That's how the Gaunts came into possession of the locket; Junior must have married into the family. Salazar Sr. must have given it to his son or the younger man must have stolen it after killing his father.

Harry got his emotions under control and stood up. He would not fail Salazar. He looked at the parchment in front of him and said in a clear voice in parseltongue –

" _I, Hadrian James Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor, scion of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Sytherin, do hereby solemnly swear by wearing this ring to uphold the values and traditions of the Slytherin family. As Lord Slytherin, I swear to bring back my family's honour and strive for the betterment of my magical brethren. This I swear, so mote it be!"_

A green aura surrounded him, as if testing his worth. Harry stared ahead, with determination swirling in his eyes and soon the family magic accepted him. A ring with silver band and a large emerald set on it with a snake engraving appeared on his left ring finger. Harry concentrated, and the Gryffindor ring transferred from his ring middle finger to his left as well. The green aura slowly seeped into his skin as the magic of the Slytherin family entered Harry. The Slytherin motto flashed in his mind ' _in quo percussit inimicum timet maxime',_ which meant 'Strike where the enemy fears most'. He was now Lord Hadrian James Potter-Gryffindor-Slytherin, born to the son of the Gryffindor family and daughter of the Slytherin family.

He opened his eyes and crossed over to the other side of the room and said " _Open in the name of Lord Slytherin."_

The wall parted and Harry's eyes went wide. Inside were tomes of books and tonnes of gold and precious stones. He was now probably the richest man in the world with the fortune of all three families put together. He could use a lot of this for the development of the magical world and to protect the magical and non-magical creatures. At least, he and his family wouldn't have any financial problems, ever.

Going by a hunch, since he was now Lord Slytherin, he called for his elf. "Toby"

The elf popped in front of him and asked "What can Toby do for Master Hadrian?"

"Toby I want you to clear this entire place and place it in High Security Vault 14 in Potter Castle. This belonged to Salazar Slytherin, and as his blood descendant, it's now mine. And along with the repairs of Gryffindor Castle, I want you to renovate Slytherin Castle as well. I'll tell you where it is."

Toby's eyes went wide when he heard that and he looked around. "Yes, Master. It shall be done". He called for several other house elves and they began shifting the books and treasures to Potter Castle. Harry walked out of the room and back into the chamber. He looked at the corpse of the basilisk and frowned. Maybe he could use the corpse; after all, it was in perfect condition, and he could have several potions ingredients as well as basilisk hide, which was even more durable than dragon hide. He called for some other elves who looked at the basilisk in fright. They were in awe of the fact that Harry had killed it with a sword. After he provided them with instructions on what to do, the elves promised to harvest the basilisk for any useful parts. After that, Harry began searching for an alternative exit. The pipe couldn't be the only entrance.

After nearly half an hour, he found it. It was a concealed wall, and he opened it using parseltongue. It led him to an empty part of the castle, on the ground floor. Once there, he cast a disillusionment charm upon himself, transformed into an eagle and entered his room from outside the tower. He changed his clothes and went to bed with a small smile on his face. He would make them all proud of him one day. He wouldn't let them down.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** In Book 4, it showed that the first years were drenched due to the rain. I have always wondered why the teachers didn't help them. After all, you don't want the students to fall sick during the first week, do you? Good work, Ms Deputy Headmistress!

Also, there are theories that muggleborns are descendants of squibs. I don't go by that, as it is very difficult to believe those entire families could become extinct. Squibs are very rare, and there are a lot more muggleborns, so I won't be using that theory. Here, the Evans family probably lost their magic in some accident, like breaking an Unbreakable Vow or something to that effect. That, in my opinion, is more believable than so many squibs being born. It is said that Squibs were hidden by the family. How many can you hide? Besides, I look at the whole world, and not only Britain. As I said, in this story there are countries like US, China, India and Russia who don't bother with muggleborns. They can't all be children of squibs.

I know that in canon the prize money is 1000 galleons, but I wanted to be much more. After all, the champions are risking their lives here. The prize money should be something to fight for, shouldn't it? Also, about those Blast Ended Skrewts; how is it that Draco Malfoy didn't complain about them to Lucius? I'm really confused, as this was the boy who tried to get Buckbeak executed. So why didn't he do that to these as well? Also, I know that Hagrid is a nice guy and all, but you have to agree that he is quite dim. Splitting up during that detention in the middle of the night in the forest, while there was something attacking unicorns was the worst idea ever! Harry and Draco were eleven for fuck's sake! How would they defend themselves? As for teaching, knowing the subject and teaching it are two different things. Snape was a genius in Potions, but that didn't make him a good teacher, did it? I wonder why nobody said anything . . .

As for Harry's alliance with Neville, I've read many fics where they have this 'Potter-Longbottom' alliance. I didn't want to use that, as I wonder why Harry has to honour it. What if he didn't like Neville? Did every generation renew their alliance? Not sure. That's why I thought that it was better to create a political alliance between them, without involving their ancestors. Yes, Neville is thinking short term, like Death Eaters and their destruction, but Harry is thinking long term. He needs allies in the future and he will do his best to get them before leaving Hogwarts. That is something which Tom Riddle did as well; weren't his first Death Eaters all his classmates at school?

Now, as for Harry and the lightning part that was in the previous chapter, let me explain. Harry is NOT a super-wizard. He may be very powerful, but he isn't a God. You can compare him to other very powerful witches and wizards like Dumbledore, Voldemort, Moody or Bellatrix. If you read the books, it shows how powerful Riddle was even at the age of ten! That's what I'm doing to Harry as well. In canon, it is shown that Harry regrew his hair once while in the Dursleys. I'm not sure if that is normal accidental magic or not. We will never know if Harry's magical growth was stunted by the Dursleys. Since he escaped early and was healed, he found out about his partial metamorphmagus ability. Maybe it is something he inherited from his grandmother's side of the family.

Where was I? Oh, yes. I do not want to bring religion or culture into this, which is why I have made Magic itself as the focal point of beliefs and culture of witches and wizards everywhere. In a way, it makes sense. That is what makes them different. It is Magic which gave them power, so it stands to reason that they worship Magic itself. In that sense, Magic is sentient. It doesn't have a physical form, but it is most definitely sentient. Think of it in a sense that it is the will of Magic that creates Seers; they go into a trance because it is a message by Magic to others to warn them about danger. There is more about it in the next chapter.

In such a sense, Harry has been chosen by Magic as its saviour. He is the Lightning Lord, and his birth had been foretold by many magical creatures as the one to liberate them and save Magic. He has an affinity with lightning, as that is his gift from Magic. It doesn't make him super-powered, but gives him control over magical lightning and an identity that he has taken another step in his destiny as the saviour of the Magical world.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**


	38. Chapter 38

WARNING: Minor lime scenes will begin from this chapter.

Chapter 38

Harry and Daphne were in the Room of Requirement making out hot and heavy. Daphne was sitting on Harry's lap, grinding against his erection, making him moan. Harry's hands were on Daphne's breasts, as he kissed her passionately.

"I thought," said Harry panting as Daphne wiggled in his lap "we were" She kissed his neck and nibbled on his earlobe "going to" he finished as he moaned again and said "studyyyy"

"Who said we aren't?" said Daphne, pushing him down to his back, and sitting on him and grinding against his erection as she kissed him. "We're just studying a different subject. You've been too stressed lately and as a good fiancée, I can't let that slide can I? Me enjoying it is just a side benefit" she said and moaned.

They kissed for another few minutes until finally, they came, dampening their underwear and uniforms. Panting, Daphne slid next to Harry, hugging and lying next to him. "Oh I love you so much" she murmured.

"I love you too" said Harry, kissing her neck. He flicked his wand to his hand and cleaned them both and their uniforms with a flick of his wand. He then turned over and went to sleep, nuzzling Daphne's face.

A few hours later, he woke up, idly wondering how Daphne had gotten him to loosen up as much as he did with her. He knew that he didn't like physical contact, though, with Daphne, it was something else entirely. He felt so comfortable with her, that he didn't mind the make-out sessions they frequently had. She didn't push him too much but gave him time to adjust and he had trusted her. And now, he quite enjoyed such moments he had with her, enhancing their physical relationship. He knew they were no way ready for sex, but what they were doing now was fine with him. He turned and kissed her neck to wake her; he loved her so much.

"Wake up, sleepyhead" he said softly. "It's time for lunch."

Daphne groaned and buried her face in his chest and said, "Don't want to."

"Oh, come on. I'm hungry. Let's go the kitchens instead, that way we don't have to socialize in the Great Hall" said Harry, as he nibbled on her earlobe.

Daphne giggled involuntarily. "You'll have to carry me" she muttered.

"Fine"

Daphne yelped as she felt Harry lift her in his arms, bridal style. He then positioned her over his shoulder, so that her upper body was facing the opposite side.

"Harry!" yelled Daphne. "I was kidding, now put me down!"

Harry grinned and playfully swatted her arse. "How was I supposed to know that? You told me to carry you to the kitchens and that's what I'm going to do."

Daphne wiggled and broke free from his grip. She glared at him and snarled "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

Harry laughed and led her to the kitchens, trading barbs with each other the entire time. When they finally entered, the elves cheered and the Head Elf said "We be proud to welcome you, Lord Slytherin. You be the first Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin ever! What can we do for Lord and Lady Gryffindor-Slytherin?"

Harry and Daphne looked at each other bemused until finally Daphne cleared her throat and said "We were wondering if you could provide us with lunch? We don't want to go to the Great Hall so -"

She didn't complete the sentence as they were quickly ushered to a grand table in a corner, with candles and flowers. Delicious food was served to them immediately.

"Wow" said Harry. "I never knew those two Lordships would make the house elves here so loyal to us."

Daphne swallowed her food and asked "Have you noticed anything different ever since you wore the ring? About Hogwarts, that is."

Harry toyed with his fork and answered slowly "I'm not really sure, but I have noticed changes. For one, I know many of the secrets of Hogwarts Castle, along with Gryffindor and Slytherin Castles as well. There was a reason castles were built at that time and not manors as witches and wizards were in grave danger due to muggle attacks. Muggle repelling wards weren't so strong back then; they were more of a recent invention. So they relied on a conventional fortress and heavy duty wards to keep them safe. It is easier to put up high powered wards around a castle than a small house, as the wards themselves would burn the house to a crisp. The castles, after a long time also became a source of magical energy. These walls themselves are imbibed with magic after a thousand years; in fact, according to the elves, I tapped into the magic of Potter Castle when I arrived there injured when I was seven years old. It's Old Magic, in that magic itself is sentient, as you know. That's what all our traditions and beliefs are based on. I can sense the wards around Hogwarts, but I'm not sure if I can take control of them. I've realised that just being Lord Gryffindor or Lord Slytherin cannot give me complete access to the wards, but having both gives me considerable power. The wards are controlled by the Headmaster, but I can override them if I feel the need to do so, which would then alert Dumbledore immediately. I also have two permanent seats on the Board of Governors which no one can take away, along with two seats on the Wizengamot. Together with the Potter seat, I have three votes. But votes aside, Most Ancient and Noble Houses have different influence as they're the top of the food chain so to speak. It will give me greater control and political influence, which would greatly help in case of new ventures or elections. Once I claim my seats, my power and influenced would be unparalleled by anyone in the country."

Daphne nodded slowly in understanding. "How soon do you want to run for the Office of Minister of Magic?" she asked, realising where his plans were headed.

Harry smiled slightly. This was one of the reasons he admired Daphne as much as he did. She had a sharp, keen mind and could understand and appreciate subtle actions and their impact. She may have a temper, but she was a consummate Slytherin; a tigress for real.

"I can't do it anytime soon" said Harry, thinking. "Fudge was elected in 1990, so once his term is up, I'll ensure that he doesn't stand for elections again. He's an idiot as well as corrupt; Malfoy's gold can be found in his pockets, I bet. I'll have to wait for someone else to take this place, so once that term is done, I'll be ready. I'll be in my mid-twenties by then, so it should be enough. I can't contest when I'm too young."

Daphne nodded. "There is no question of you winning, so that isn't an issue. But don't you want to try for the position of Chief Warlock? It could be done quicker" she explained.

"No" said Harry firmly. "I had considered it, but I don't care much about judicial power or being the speaker of the Wizengamot. I already have a lot of influence by carrying three votes of Most Ancient Houses, so I don't need to be the Chief Warlock just to gain favour and power over the members. Besides, as the Minister, it gives me executive powers; I can streamline the Ministry and make International diplomatic contacts, which is crucial if my long term plans are going to bear fruit."

"Point" muttered Daphne, looking into the distance. "But if you're the Minister, then that would mean -"

"-that you would have to enter the political sphere as well" finished Harry, looking at her directly. "That's something I'm counting on, as you have a knack for politics and with you sitting as the Lady Potter-Gryffindor-Slytherin, you can vote in my place. As the Minister of Magic, I can't use my family votes, but you can. You had already planned on it, right?"

Daphne smirked. "Of course I had. But now that you have realised that it would be beneficial to let me take those seats, I don't have to resort to blackmail" she said.

Harry snorted. Daphne was capable of doing it.

"How did the talk with Neville go?" she asked lightly.

Harry nodded and said "Done. Longbottom and if you are correct in your assumption, Bones are in."

Daphne smirked slightly. "Excellent. We need to move slowly, but before we leave Hogwarts, we have to try to influence as many of the younger generation as possible."

"Already on it" said Harry, getting up and helping her as well.

When they were about to leave, they saw a bunch of elves sobbing softly, and other muttering angrily. They went towards them and Daphne asked, "Are you all okay? Why are you crying?"

One of the elves looked up and said, "No, we be not, Miss Daphne. There be trouble in Gryffindor tower. One student be trying to free us by giving us _clothes."_ The elf shuddered and spoke again "She be hiding hats and shawls in places so that we would take them and become free. This be an insult to house elves, Master Hadrian! The bushy hag be trying to kill us!" screeched the elf.

Harry's eyes glowed bright green. "Daphne what is she talking about?" he asked in a low voice.

"Now I get it" whispered Daphne in realization. "Granger has been acting strange ever since school started, and she had been distributing some form of badges since last term. As a Slytherin, they never came to me and others didn't care about her, so I never realised what she was up to. I thought it was nothing, but I heard someone mention something about House Elf liberation and how she was going to free all elves or something like that. I heard her talking about slavery; this must be it!"

"That bitch!" snarled Harry. "What is she trying to do, kill all the house elves? Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asked the various elves.

The elves looked down and said in a morose voice, "We be not wanted to disturb Master Hadrian. We thought bushy hag would stop after a while."

Harry sighed and kneeled down. "Look" he said kindly. "Being Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin isn't just a status symbol. I already told you to talk to me if you have any problems. In the future, will you do that for me?"

The elves all nodded happily and answered "Yes Master Hadrian!"

Harry smiled and he and Daphne got out. But instead of returning to the Room, Harry cast disillusionment charms on them both. He closed his eyes and felt the people in the castle. The wards told him that Hermione was in the library.

"Come on" he whispered, they both headed to the library. Once there, he used wandless Legilimency on Granger to lightly probe her mind. She didn't feel anything, so Harry saw everything related to what she was doing about House-elves and more. And what he saw made his blood boil.

Trying to keep his anger in check, he grabbed Daphne's hand and pulled her to the Room of Requirement. Once there, he started pacing, muttering to himself. Finally, after a couple of minutes, Daphne asked, "Harry what happened? What did you see in her mind?"

Harry turned around, and Daphne could see lightning bolts in those glowing green orbs. "She's a bigot" he whispered. "Not in the sense that she believes that purebloods are above everyone else, but in that she believes that muggles are far superior to magicals. She calls us and our traditions barbaric and believes the magical world should become more like the muggle world, with her as the focal point of change. She is a narcissistic girl who only cares about her being first in class and wants to act superior by accumulating knowledge and telling others that she knows best. I get it that she wants to fight for the rights of house-elves; that's a noble cause, but she's trying to kill them by setting them free. She truly believes that witches and wizards don't use _muggle logic"_ he sneered at the phrase "And that only with her help along with the great and mighty Albus Dumbledore, with her being the Minister of Magic can the Magical World improve. She wants to stamp out the purebloods and throw away their jobs and give them all to muggleborns and wants all witches and wizards to swear a magical oath to never attack muggles! Can you believe that? According to her, we shouldn't even raise our wands at those filthy barbarians, while they can attack us anytime they want which would essentially wipe us out! What's worse is that she wants us to help those muggles at a time of need, and integrate into their society and accept their stupid laws. In other words, she wants us to become slaves to those filthy muggles. I'm boiling mad right now" he said, his entire body glowing and bolts of lightning appeared, surrounding his body.

Daphne sat calmly in front of him, contemplating on what to do. She knew that Harry was very protective of the magical world and he truly believed that the threat posed by muggles hasn't been reduced due to the International Statute of Secrecy and that they would need to increase their protection if they were to survive in the future. And here was a girl who completely believed in muggle superiority and wants to subjugate witches and wizards, which has been attempted many times in the past by muggle rulers. He was understandably angry, and so was she. But she couldn't lose her cool. There was an unsaid understanding between them; when she was angry, he was calm. When he was angry, she was calm. It ensured that no one lost control. Harry being this angry was a very rare phenomenon; his patience much exceeded hers and he wasn't known for raising his voice either.

"I need to calm down" muttered Harry. He walked out of the room, and Daphne idly followed him. She followed him to the Astronomy Tower, where she saw him transform into a golden eagle. There was a storm now, with heavy rain with lightning and thunder. She just didn't understand how flying in such weather would calm him down. She watched for nearly an hour as Harry in his eagle form made various flying manoeuvres in the air. Finally, he came back to the tower and transformed back. He was soaking wet, so she cast drying and warming charms on him with her wand. Once he was dry, she went over and kissed him passionately. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as he reciprocated.

"Have you calmed down?" she asked finally.

"Yes" said Harry quietly. "But I need to confront Granger. I don't want the elves to lose faith in me."

"Agreed" said Daphne. "Do you want me to come or can you handle it yourself?"

Harry shook his head and said "I don't think a Slytherin student would help matters in Gryffindor Tower; your presence might make things worse. I'll handle it alone."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry walked towards the portrait of the Fat Lady that guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. The corridor was deserted when the Fat Lady bowed to him and said, "My Lord, how may I serve you?"

"Is Hermione Granger inside, Milady?" he asked politely.

"Yes, My Lord" replied the Fat Lady. "She entered about half an hour ago. Do you wish to enter?"

"Yes please" said Harry, reinforcing his mental shields as his emotionless mask went back in place.

The painting swung open, revealing the portrait hole. Harry calmly walked in as if he owned the place and looked around the Common Room. When he entered, the people inside stopped talking and instead stared at him. How had he entered the tower? Did he know their password?

"Potter!" yelled Ron Weasley. "What are you doing here? This is the Gryffindor Common Room, you're not welcome here!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm looking for Hermione Granger. Where is she?"

"Why should we tell you?" asked Welasey, going red in the face. Harry merely raised his eyebrow. Well, it seemed someone had a crush on Granger.

"I'm not here to flirt with her, Wealsey" said Harry, much to Ron's embarrassment. "You can have her and marry her for all I care. I need to talk to her; where is she?"

When one of them responded that she was in her dorm, Harry simply flicked his wand and silently cast the Patronus charm. The giant thunderbird emerged from the tip of his wand and disappeared. Harry folded his hands against his chest and started at the fire, waiting for Granger, while the rest looked in awe, discussing his Patronus. Finally, Hermione Granger came down.

"What do you want, Potter?" she snapped. "I was busy doing something important". In her hands were small fluffy hats and gloves.

"That's precisely the reason why I'm here" said Harry in a quiet voice. The common room was quiet now, wanting to know what was going on. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, the two gossip queens of the school took the best seats so that they could watch.

"Stop what you're doing" he said. "Stop trying to trick the house elves into freeing themselves. While your idea of giving them more rights is a noble cause, the way you're going about it is not. So stop it."

Hermione went red in the face due to anger. "I knew it!" she screeched. "I knew that you wouldn't support my campaign ever since I saw you summon that poor elf a year ago. How dare you condone _slavery?_ That's barbaric! I'm surprised that no one has tried to stop it yet; it just shows how backward your thinking is. House Elves need to be free; they need wages and sick leave and better working conditions. I can't believe the Ministry of Magic condones this! Making them your slave is monstrous! Why, in the muggle world -"

"Oh, don't act all mighty Granger" snapped Harry, his eyes glowing. "I'm pretty sure you arrived at this conclusion just by reading your stupid books, didn't you? Tell me, Granger, have you actually met a house elf before?"

"Of course I have" said Hermione loftily. "I saw you summon that elf a year ago and I also saw Lucius Malfoy mistreat his elf. That shows what backward thinking is pre -"

"That's not what I meant" said Harry. "Have you personally spoken to them? Have you asked them if they're happy? Have you asked them why they need to bond with witches and wizards?"

"They're obviously brainwashed by -" began Hermione, but she was cut off.

"So, you came to your own conclusion did you?" asked Harry in a deadly voice, bolts of lightning surrounding his body. Many of them close to him edged away due to fright while others were in awe of his sheer magical power. "That's the problem with you, Granger. You read what is given in one book, not verify it with others, not look at the real life scenario and jump to conclusions! And now, that's what you have done in regards to house elves."

"Let me enlighten you Granger" said Harry. "House elves have always existed in our world, but they are not the only form of elves. There are wood elves which exist in the forests all over the world, but they are very, very rarely seen as they prefer to remain isolated due to the danger of them being hunted down. High Elves exist who are considered by many as one of the oldest sentient magic species, but they too prefer an isolated environment and haven't been spotted for hundreds if not thousands of years. All these types of elves have a specific purpose, just like witches and wizards do. House elves are a species meant to serve. That is their function! If you rob them of their ability to do their job, then they lose the will to live as they have nothing else to live for!"

"Slavery -" began Hermione, but was again cut off.

"The bond between a house elf and a witch or wizard has existed for thousands of years. That is the way for them to survive. Without the bond, their existence has no meaning, as they don't know anything else! They were born to serve! Unlike in your precious muggle world where humans enslave other humans, we don't do that. Because Old Magic herself has created a species who serve us to help better ourselves so that we can improve our society! Every society needs others who cook, clean, do the housework, take care of the children and other essential things! In the muggle world, it is done by other humans, while in the magical world it is done by house elves! You can't expect them to accept wages because they have no use for it! What do you think they would do, go to a party? Watch a movie? Their inherent magic itself provides them with whatever they need, and coupled with the magic they get from witches and wizards ensures that they are self-sufficient. They use the magic received from the bond to reproduce, and you trying to free them shows that there is someone out there who wants to kill them all! You'll basically turn into a Dark witch to them! Please, don't try to bring in your vaunted muggle ideas into the magical world where it is neither wanted nor necessary" said Harry heatedly.

"But of course you need muggle ideas!" screeched Hermione, her hair become bushier by the minute. "The Wizarding world is still stuck in the dark ages and only adapting to the muggle world can bring them out of the funk! There isn't even the concept of divorce in the magical world, while it exists in the muggle world. Polygamy exists here for God's sake. Only if we remove such barbaric laws and traditions could the magical world ever hope to be as advanced as the muggle world."

This comment brought outrage from many of them sitting in the common room. Nobody missed the part of Granger called them all barbaric, and many of the purebloods couldn't believe that she would think that the muggle world could even compete with the magical world.

"Let me tell you something Granger" sneered Harry, his aura flaring. "Don't compare the muggle world to the magical world, and don't you fucking _dare_ question our traditions and beliefs and impose your beliefs on us. We don't want that. You think the muggle world is superior, isn't it? Please, enlighten us. Just what do muggles have that we don't? You mentioned divorce, right? Well, let's test that. Hey, Fred, George, do you know what divorce is?" he asked the Weasley twins sitting there.

"Ahm, no idea, Harry" said George confused. "What is that? Is it some kind of cure for a disease?"

"Aha!" said Hermione triumphantly. "See? They don't even know what it is. This proves that -"

"-divorce doesn't exist in the magical world" finished Harry. "Do you know why, Granger? It is because unlike muggle marriages, in case of witches and wizards, the husband and wife are bonded for life. To those who don't know, divorce is a muggle term that describes a situation where a husband and wife split after marriage and go their separate ways. You see Granger? They are disgusted to even hear of such a thing. That's because when a man and woman are married through blessings of Old Magic, it creates a sacred bond between them. They don't cheat on each other; they don't feel the need to divorce the other. Whatever we do, we have a reason. There is a similar bond between parents and their children as well. As for Polygamy, if you're interested to know, has not been seen in our world for a few hundred years. It exists only in law, in case the heads of noble families decide to marry another to continue their line."

"The Ancient and Noble House system is outdated" said Hermione stubbornly, going red in the face. "It shows the magical world isn't democratic like the muggle world. This clearly discriminates muggleborns as they don't have access to such influence as the Ancient Houses. We muggleborns face so much prosecution and we don't get high position jobs!"

"Oh, give me a break!" shouted Harry. "Just what is it with you and wanting to bring more of the muggle world into everything? Get your facts straight Granger. Elected representatives and Magical governments have existed for much longer when muggles were still struggling with corrupt monarchy. The Ancient Houses exist for a reason. They are the old families of a community, and hence are powerful and have access to family magic. They were the ones who founded the magical governments and enacted all those laws in the first place; they were the ones to introduce the concept of elected representatives and thus, for all the work they have done, they have hereditary seats. In our Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot is comprised of Ancient and Noble Houses, Ministry Department heads, those who are young and elderly alike, holders of Orders of Merlin and the remaining nearly half of them are elected by the people! Even being the Lord of an Ancient and Noble House isn't easy. While no one can deny us the seat, just because we were born in the family doesn't give us the right to sit there. We are evaluated by a panel of Wizengamot members who test our knowledge about magical law and if we're worthy to sit there for legislative and judicial sessions."

"You mentioned muggleborns and their rights" said Harry, cutting off Granger who wanted to speak. "Do you realise that you're talking to the son of a muggleborn? Who told you that muggleborns don't get top jobs? I can give you the names of three elected members of the Wizengamot who are muggleborns. My mother was an Unspeakable when she was alive, and she was a muggleborn. Dirk Cresswell, the newest Head of the Goblin Liaison Office is a muggleborn. Twenty-five per cent of the Ministry workers are muggleborns. Are you saying that they aren't successful? Why, have you heard of Miller's Magical Mirrors? The proprietor is Serena Miller, a muggleborn! She was named the Businesswoman of the Year in the International Magical Business Magazine. So, tell me, in which sense are we _barbaric_?" he sneered at the last word.

"What in the world is family magic? Why weren't we told about such things? We should all have access to such things as well!" shouted Hermione.

"Family lines have different characteristics and traits" explained Harry. He knew that others were listening, so it was a good idea to explain it properly. "It might be something as simple as eye colour to magical powers. The Abbott family has been known for their ability in Earth magic; the Longbottoms have produced outstanding potioneers; Ollivanders have a long history with wand lore; it's different for different people. The Black family has a dominant trait of metamorphagi. Magic developed over generations and it becomes ingrained in the blood of the members itself. This is a long process, and it depends on the will of Old Magic itself, so it's not a fully controlled process. Thus, they have their own spells and wards and other inventions which are passed down from one generation to another -"

"You mean you have access to magic that others don't?" screeched Hermione. "You can't do that! The Ministry must seize all those and give it to the public so that it can be read by all. I can't believe you're allowed to do such things as hoarding knowledge! You -"

"We all have our own family secrets Granger!" said Harry angrily. "Do you think this doesn't happen in the muggle world? Do you think you have access to all the libraries in the world? I would like to see you try to get into the oldest and most secure libraries without permission, just by claiming that it shouldn't be locked! Stop judging the magical world by your knowledge of the muggle world! They're completely different! There's Old Magic at work here and it isn't something as simple as -"

"Now what the hell is Old Magic?" laughed Hermione. "You talk as though magic is sentient; as if that is possible. Magic is just a tool which -"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Harry, while other purebloods too shouted in outrage. "This is what we don't like! You were introduced to the magical world just three years ago, and you're already spitting on our traditions and beliefs which have existed for _thousands and thousands_ of years! For Merlin's sake Granger, stop trying to convert the magical world to your so called advanced muggle standards! WE DON'T WANT IT! I'm not saying that we are perfect; yes, there is corruption; yes, muggleborns face scorn, but this is the reason for it! You enter into our world, spit on our beliefs and try to change who we are! And no one likes that! Why can't you just let things be? If you want to change something for the betterment of the society, the society has to agree to it. You can't singlehandedly change something just because you feel it is inappropriate; that's called tyranny, which is what Voldemort tried to do!"

Harry waited for Hermione to speak, but when she didn't he responded calmly "Look, Granger, I don't care about your beliefs about the muggle world. Just don't impose them on us. And leave the House Elves alone. They came to me crying about what you have been doing, and I needed to take action so that no one got hurt. Again, I don't mind you prosecuting those people who don't treat their elves well; I'm all for it. But don't try to give the elves clothes as it is harmful to them. Good night."

With that, Harry left Gryffindor Tower, not noticing Hermione Granger furiously march back to her dorm.

The argument between Harry and Hermione spread throughout the school like fiendfyre. Purebloods, Half-bloods and muggleborns alike could be seen talking about it. The purebloods were seething about the fact that Granger had dared to say that they were backward and barbaric, while the half-bloods too felt offended by her words. But the biggest surprise had been the muggleborns. Everyone had thought that they would have ganged up against Harry, but they had done the exact opposite. They actually understood where he was coming from as many of them had been ridiculed for the strange happenings around them when they were growing up which they realised later to be accidental magic, and understood that both worlds were different. Many of them approached Harry, and asked him questions about the working of the magical world, and he was more than happy to explain it to them. He even personally escorted them to the library and showed them the wide range of books which served as introductions to muggleborns and explained more about the magical world. Of course, some of them had scoffed and glared at Harry whenever they saw him, but they were very few and far between as compared to the general muggleborn student population. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, on the other hand, were shooting death glares at Harry whenever they saw him. Pretty soon, the word reached the ears of Albus Dumbledore and Harry was summoned to his office.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 39**

 **Daphne growled, her tigress instincts taking control again. "It is difficult to respect a man who is hell bent on getting my fiancé killed."**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Alright, I hope this chapter answered the phenomenon that took place in Chapter 2 where Potter Castle itself assisted Harry in healing from his injuries. What that means is that Harry was magical very weak, on the brink of death. When the elves performed their ritual, he tapped into the castle's magical reserves, which by then were imbibed into the very walls itself. That is what happened, and such a phenomenon could be seen in many other places which are this old as well. There are certainly more magical buildings which are older than Potter Castle or Hogwarts; just not in Britain.

I'm not sure how the members of the Board of Governors of Hogwarts come to be; maybe they are members of the Wizengamot who take turns every few years in the Board, so as such, there are no permanent members. Harry being the Lord of the two founding families gives him two hereditary seats on the Board.

Coming to House Elves, I have always wondered why the elves hate clothes so much. Dobby too would have immediately bonded to Harry had he been willing to bond with the elf. I have always been confused as to why Harry never employed Dobby. Surely his life would have been much easier having a fanatically devoted elf with him, making the little guy happy in the process! Sigh, never mind.

Finally, I'll come to the matter at hand – Hermione Granger. I know that there are Hermione fans out there, and to tell you the truth, I like her too. Well, sort of. Anyway, I have always felt the Hermione always has a habit of jumping to conclusions about things. How does a girl who has been in the magical world for less than a year tell that witches and wizards don't have logic, and hence can't solve a logic puzzle? I don't get it. She also reads a few books on the subject and doesn't clarify what she has learnt with others, and takes a rash decision. This can be seen in Book 4, where she forms SPEW without even talking to anybody about House Elves. Did she talk to the elves directly? No. Even when she knew that the elves didn't want to accept clothes, she didn't listen. She makes the decision for them without their consent, against their wishes. That shows her arrogance. The same can be said in Book 7 when she obliviated her parents. Her heart was in the right place, but her methods leave a lot to be desired.

I have read fics which show that none of the muggleborns get any jobs in the Ministry. It is difficult to believe that as such blatant hatred by the government won't help matters any. If that was the case, Voldemort wouldn't have problems at all! In Book 6, Slughorn mentions students who are muggleborns and their jobs. So I will go by that as well. There is discrimination, yes. They will be passed over for promotions which might be given to a half-blood or pureblood, but they won't be denied jobs. As for the top jobs, there are very few and far between compared to the general population; that's the discrimination again. Only three Wizengamot members out of say, 40 elected representatives, and that is not counting the Ancient and Noble Houses.

As for Hermione's thoughts about muggle superiority, well, she was raised in the muggle world, and her ego is quite large. It can be seen in the books that even as late as Book 6, she raises her hand in Snape's class immediately, knowing that Snape doesn't care for his bookish knowledge. That's her nature. As far as she has read, Grindelwald and Voldemort caused rash muggle killing, so the best way to prevent that is by witches and wizards swearing a magical oath to not harm muggles. If someone tells that it basically subjugates wizards, she could say that it is a check and balance system. Muggles have to control them is her idea.

As for her saying that the magical world should become more like the muggle world, we have seen this before where other cultures conquer another land and subjugate the natives. This has been seen for hundreds if not thousands of years, so it's nothing new. Hermione doesn't care about the existing culture and traditions of the magical world, and since she doesn't agree with them, she calls them backward and wants to convert witches and wizards to her so called 'advanced' muggle standards. Harry and the others are furious, and rightly so. No one like to give up their culture and traditions and have someone else's imposed on them. Again, I have taken this from world history. It's nothing new as that's how Hermione's mind operates, as she still thinks like a muggle.

As for mugglebors facing scorn during their childhood, why not? Harry surely did. Hermione too didn't have any friends. And I mentioned the story of Serena Miller as well. Lily faced scorn from her own sister. So while parents like the Grangers and Lily's parents do accept it, others don't. This is why Harry is doing his best to protect the muggleborns. Just because Hermione doesn't have a broader understanding of things, doesn't mean other muggleborns think like her as well. Again, the magical and muggle worlds are different, which is what Harry is trying to explain.

As for the magical bond between married couples, it doesn't mean that they have to be happy or in love with each other. It only means that Magic would help them in that there won't be any violence or such. The couple could co-exist peacefully without the worst problems that would drive them apart. As for children, there can never be a case of child abuse like how it was with Harry. We don't know what happened between Sirius and Walburga, so I think he ran away because of the verbal lashing of him not following the Black family ideals and the fact that his mother wanted him to become a Death Eater. While there is no abuse per say, it doesn't mean the relationship is always rosy either; everything has limitations.

Cheers!


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Albus Dumbledore looked at the boy in front of him under his half-moon glasses. He had heard rumours about Harry arguing about house elves and other related topics with Hermione Granger, which showed that Harry didn't have a high opinion of muggles and that was disturbing. Harry reminded Albus a little too much of Tom Riddle, and he had to be stopped now. He was so glad that a Death Eater had been infiltrated into Hogwarts so as to help Voldemort. Oh, he knew that Alastor Moody was attacked and a polyjuiced Death Eater was taking his place, but it was all for the Greater Good. If Tom was to be brought back to the light, he must regain a body first. After he kills Harry and once his soul pieces are destroyed, Albus was sure that Tom would realise what a horrible mistake he had made. But Harry hating muggles was unacceptable. He had expected the students to gang up on him again, but instead, they actually listened to him and formed their own opinions! What had happened to the sheep mentality? He remembered Daphne's Greengrass' verbal lashing after the incident of the Chamber of Secrets and suddenly he felt uneasy. Could the words of that girl have triggered a spark of change in the mentality of the younger generation? This was not good at all; he had built his power base only on sheep mentality, and if it disappeared, so would his influence. At least Harry would be hated by everyone soon. All he had to do was wait for the Goblet of Fire to spit out Harry's name, and the others would do the rest. Ah, wasn't he the most intelligent wizard ever?

"What can I do for you, Headmaster?" asked Harry, cutting through the silence. Professor Flitwick was looking at Dumbledore with narrowed eyes.

"Well, my boy" said Dumbledore. "I've heard some disturbing rumours about you recently. Is it true that you harbour a hatred for all muggles and muggleborns?"

Harry snorted. "Like student, like mentor" he muttered. Like Granger, Dumbledore seemed to have jumped to conclusions as well. The question itself was a trap, in that if he answered, Dumbledore would use it against him.

"I have no idea where you've heard that, Headmaster, but it is by no means the truth" said Harry.

"Well, Harry, I've heard differently. I heard that Miss Granger was trying to help the house elves and was trying to give ideas to improve our world. Muggles are a fascinating race and we should learn from them, my boy" said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling at Harry.

"She was trying to force House elves to accept clothes" said Harry calmly. "The elves came to me for help, so I decided to straighten her out. And I never said anything wrong. She kept instigating that witches and wizards were backward and barbaric while her vaunted muggle world was perfect, so I wished to set her straight. Is that all Headmaster?"

"You can't harbour such a deep hatred towards muggles Harry" said Dumbledore sombrely. "You're going _dark_ , my boy."

Harry chuckled and got up. He headed for the door, which on his touch clicked open much to Dumbledore's surprise as he finally said, "When was I ever light, Albus my boy?" With that, he went out of the room, with Flitwick following him, the latter having a small smirk on his face.

"Bloody manipulative old fool" muttered Harry to himself. "Is it any surprise that Riddle hated him?"

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

On the 30th of October, Harry found himself outside the Castle, waiting for the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations. Things were going smoothly for now. Hagrid had listened to his advice and brought unicorns to the next class, much to the relief and delight of everyone else. He had also brought a runspoor, a magical three headed snake, and Harry had been more than happy to talk to the creature and translate it to the rest of the class. Needless to say, it had been a fascinating experience, and Care of Magical Creatures was actually turning out to be tolerable now as Hagrid brought out more tame and interesting creatures, though not according to Hagrid's definition of 'interesting'.

Harry had also started socialising with many of his schoolmates, especially after the drama with Granger. He was more approachable and he made it a point to interact with the first year students. He couldn't help it, but he had a soft spot for children (something which Daphne thought was very adorable and cute). As a result, within the first two months, he was already loved by the year's batch of first years in all four houses (and the second years as well, considering that he had helped them the previous year). He had also befriended the prefects and Head Boy and Girl so that it would become easier to work with them next year (there was no way he wasn't being made a prefect). Daphne too had come out of her shell and started being warmer to others, so now she could be found engaging in long conversations about a variety of subjects with different people. They weren't social animals; far from it. But they did consciously make it a point to ensure that they befriended the entire school. They had a plan, and for it to work, they needed support.

There was also a debate about who was going to be picked as Hogwarts champion. So far, Hufflepuff's choice was Cedric Diggory, and Harry agreed with them. Cedric was quite smart and capable and it would also bring some limelight to Hogwart's most overlooked house. Harry had gone and spoken to Cedric and encouraged him to try as well. He and Cedric were on friendly terms ever since they had been attacked by Lockhart, so they could talk to each other without any hassle. There had been no other candidate as strongly supported as Cedric Diggory, but Gryffindor would never give up this soon. But Harry was also worried about the Goblet of Fire. That sounded like trouble. Thankfully, he and Daphne had come up with an idea to keep his name away from this damn tournament.

Soon, the Beauxbatons delegation arrived. Their Headmistress, a very large woman took her students into the Great Hall to warm up; after all, warming charms could only do so much. Harry narrowed his eyes when he saw Igor Karkaroff arrive with Durmstrang. He was a former Death Eater, who escaped Azkaban by giving away the names of many of his comrades. He was hated by his fellow Death Eaters, but Harry wasn't sure if the man posed a threat. Either way, he would keep an eye out. He went back into the castle along with the rest and took his usual seat with his Ravenclaw friends. It looked like the Beauxbatons group had joined the Ravenclaw table.

The feast began, and Harry and the others engaged in conversation with their foreign guests. He noticed that many of the girls from the other two schools were staring at him and giggling, and he clenched his fists when he noticed many boys from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons eyeing Daphne at the Slytherin table as well. He breathed deeply. This was no time to get jealous and possessive.

Harry started talking to a girl who introduced herself as Fleur Delacour. Harry was sure that she was a Veela because he felt a pull impact his mental shields. She was genuinely surprised that he talked to her normally and not drool over like that the rest of the boys seemed to do. Indeed, many boys of Hogwarts were unashamedly staring at her, with a blank look on their faces, eyes glazed.

"Sorry about them" muttered Harry. "They're not always like this, but after seeing the reaction of most men during the Quidditch World Cup, I can't say I'm surprised."

"How did you know?" asked Fleur surprised that he had figured out she was a Veela. Harry and Daphne had taken the translation potion so that there wouldn't be any communication gap. Daphne kept muttering about her someday creating a spell or potion that would permanently make talking in other languages easier.

Harry shrugged. He was sure that she appeared cold and distant to protect herself from others. After all, when everyone who looked at you lusted after you, it was a difficult life. He and Daphne did the same so he couldn't blame her.

"I felt a nudge against my Occlumency shields, so I knew" explained Harry, helping himself to dessert.

"You know Occlumency? That is very advanced" commented Fleur.

"It's something I felt was quite important. You might want to try it; it might help you in controlling your allure better" advised Harry.

Harry and Fleur spoke about their schools the rest of the time. Fleur couldn't help but be attracted to Harry. After all, here was a guy who was intelligent, very good looking and could also resist her allure.

Pretty soon, the food disappeared, and Dumbledore welcomed them all. The Goblet of Fire was brought in, and Dumbledore again stressed about the age requirement. Harry's eyes narrowed when he mentioned the Age line. While it was a start, there were many ways around them. It looked like Dumbledore was setting a trap, like he had with the Philosopher's stone.

"Finally," said Dumbledore. "I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

Harry and Daphne discreetly made their way to the Room of Requirement. Once inside, Daphne asked in a strange voice "So, trying to replace me with that Veela girl, huh?"

Harry pinned her against the wall, his face very close to hers. "I already told you" he said in a low voice. "You're more beautiful than any woman alive, Veela or not. No one can take your place, Daphne. Understand me?" He kissed her slowly and sensually, just to prove his point.

"I saw you get frustrated when those boys were flirting with me" said Daphne casually. Harry's face coloured in embarrassment and Daphne smirked.

"Don't worry, Harry" she said. "You're the only one for me as well. Now, can we get on with our business?"

Harry nodded. "Dobby" he said.

Dobby popped in front of them and immediately tackled Harry in a hug. "Master Hadrian be calling Dobby! What can Dobby do for the great Hadrian Potter?" he asked excitedly.

Harry smiled, kneeled down to the elf's height and said "Dobby, I want you to do something important. The Goblet of Fire will be placed in the Entrance Hall soon. I want you to stay on guard, invisible and ensure that no one puts my name in the Goblet. I know that you'll have to sacrifice your sleep for this, but can you please do this for me Dobby?"

Dobby cried and said "Master Hadrian is greater than Dobby ever thought. Dobby will do anything for Master Hadrian. It shall be done." With that, he popped away.

"That was a - weird elf" said Daphne, slowly.

Harry snorted. "Poor guy is probably damaged permanently due to Lucius Malfoy's torture. Or maybe he's just that eccentric. At least he's happy. He deserves it after all he has been through."

With that, they both headed to their respective dorms for the night.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next evening, Harry was again sitting at the Ravenclaw table for dinner, but he couldn't help but fidget; Daphne looked nervous as well. They both looked at the weather outside through the windows and they saw heavy rain, along with thunder and lightning. It was Aquila's warning about danger.

He finally took a deep breath and clamped up his mental shields. He couldn't let himself get distracted. There were only two alternatives according to Daphne – either Dobby succeeded in preventing the Goblet from being tampered with, which would ensure that Harry wouldn't have to compete; or Dumbledore would have done something which would force Harry to compete. He didn't like the idea of competing in the tournament, and Daphne was more nervous than he had ever seen her. His emotions settled as he finished his breathing exercises, and his emotionless mask was back in place. The storm raged outside the castle.

Dumbledore couldn't prevent the press from being here as well. So with that in mind, two reporters were present, and unknown to Dumbledore, they had brought along a recording crystal as well. The crystal was showing the live broadcast of the selection of the Champions to witches and wizards all over the world. Many of them were watching the selection on their E-Mirrors as the Triwizard Tournament was an ICW sponsored event, so it had international coverage. This was what worried Harry, as whatever drama was soon to unfold, a million people would be watching, if not more. And he knew that the audience would certainly grow in the future.

"The goblet is about to make its decision" said Dumbledore. "Once I call the names, champions please enter the next chamber through the Great Hall for your briefing. Good luck!"

The flames of the goblet turned red, and a piece of parchment flew out. Dumbledore caught it and said, "The Durmstrang champion is VICTOR KRUM!" The hall applauded loudly as the Quidditch star went to the chamber off the hall.

The goblet spit out another name. "The Beauxbatons champion is," said Dumbledore "FLEUR DELACOUR!" Harry congratulated the girl sitting next to him as she too disappeared down the hall.

Finally, the goblet turned red again, and spit out the third. The tension was palpable as Dumbledore said, "The Hogwarts champion is CEDRIC DIGGORY!" The entire Hufflepuff table burst into applause and the noise was unimaginable. Cedric grinned and followed the rest of the champions as well.

"Excellent!" said Dumbledore. "Now that our three champions are chosen, I hope we can all support them and -"

He stopped talking as the goblet turned red for the fourth time. Rain lashed against the windows heavily, and a heavy rumble of thunder could be heard as Dumbledore caught the parchment and read "Hadrian Potter"

Harry's eyes flashed bright green in anger, but Daphne knew something was wrong. There was no way Dobby could have missed it, so she activated the darker variant of the notice-me-not charm that was present on the locket Harry had given her two years ago and got up.

"Hadrian Potter" yelled Dumbledore, and people started muttering angrily. Harry slowly got up, his face a mask of utter fury. His hair turned pure white in a matter of seconds, but due to such intense anger, his hair started cycling between different colours all on its own accord and his skin glowed, and lightning bolts surrounded his body as he looked at Dumbledore with more hatred than he had ever felt before. He could probably perform the Cruciatus curse on the old man flawlessly with the amount of anger that was coursing through his veins.

"Excuse me?" whispered Harry, just as a bright flash of lightning illuminated his already furious face and a very loud rumble of thunder followed. Many students sitting close to him edged away, scared that his raw magic would impact them. He really looked scary.

"Your name has been chosen by the Goblet of Fire" said Dumbledore. "Please, follow the other champions."

Harry flicked his wand to his hand. "I, Hadrian James Potter" he said clearly, just as many gasped when they realised what he was about to do, and Dumbledore's eyes went wide as well. "do hereby swear on my life and magic, that I did not enter my name in the Goblet of Fire; did not attempt to enter my name in the Goblet of Fire; never asked anyone to put my name in the Goblet of Fire and finally never had an intention to take part in the Triwizard Tournament in the first place; I am being forced into this tournament without my consent and against my will; this I swear, so mote it be!"

The light flashed, signifying his oath. There was deathly silence, as people saw his oath take effect. Since he swore the oath on his life, and the fact that he was still standing alive meant that he was definitely, without a doubt telling the truth.

" _Expecto Patronum_ " said Harry quietly and the giant thunderbird appeared from the tip of his wand.

Dumbledore was in shock. What was it with Harry and magical oaths? There was a reason those oaths weren't used on a daily basis because they were _extremely_ dangerous if even one wrong word was spoken. And Harry swore it on his life? He would never have thought anyone would be foolish enough to swear such a long and detailed oath, but it seems Harry really didn't care! This was not good. Should he resort to Plan B? Just then, he felt a presence next to him and someone used his momentary distraction to take the parchment away from his lose fingers.

Daphne calmly approached Dumbledore and plucked the piece of parchment from Dumbledore's grip and stepped away from him. She looked at it and said "There was no need for you to risk your life to swear that oath, Harry. This parchment is blank."

"Miss Greengrass, how dare you take that from me?" asked Dumbledore angrily, making a move to grab it from her, only to impact a shield. He turned to see Harry's wand raised, pointing towards him.

"Professor Flitwick, could you please verify Miss Greengrass' statement?" asked Harry calmly.

Daphne passed the parchment to Flitwick who saw that it was blank. He ran several diagnostic charms on it and said "This piece of parchment is completely blank, without a word written on it. What are you playing at Dumbledore?" he asked furiously.

The murmur increased, but just then, Dumbledore's back up plan activated. Albus had specifically implanted a parchment with Harry's name on it in case the Death Eater impersonating Moody wasn't successful. The goblet went red for the fifth time, and this time, Professor Flitwick summoned the parchment to his hand even before Dumbledore could catch it.

"Hadrian Potter again" snarled Flitwick. He couldn't believe his most prized student was being pushed to the limit again. "And his name appears without a school. This clearly was torn from his homework assignment; two sides of the parchment are smooth while the other two are not. The people who put their names had to include their middle names as well, and this doesn't have Mr Potter's middle name. Someone tampered with the Goblet of Fire."

"There is no proof of that" said Dumbledore calmly, but he was mentally sweating buckets. His plan had been perfect. He would have announced Harry's name; due to the shock, Harry would not have reacted and just followed his orders; this would have led to the school turning their back on him. It had been a big shock to him that the fourth piece of parchment was blank, but that blasted Greengrass girl had figured it out! His Plan B would have worked wonderfully, but that didn't count on it being the fifth parchment to fly out. He had confunded the goblet into believing there was another school, with Harry as the sole participant. He had done this as a fail safe so that had the Death Eater not been able to trick the goblet, his plan would activate, making Harry compete in the tournament. But what he had not expected was the parchment the Death Eater had placed to come out blank! What had happened there? His momentary distraction in dealing with Greengrass had not allowed him to stop the fifth parchment from flying out, this one being the one he had placed in the goblet. This had turned into a nightmare! And Flitwick had figured out the inconsistencies as well. Damn him! He didn't have a choice in the matter except take Harry's homework assignment as the Goblet specifically needed the person's handwriting which contained his inherent magical signature which was accessed by the Goblet. Dumbledore felt all his plans crashing around his ears. But he still had hope; Harry would still be forced to compete as he was chosen by the Goblet. He was bound by the terms of the implied contract. That part of the plan was something Harry hadn't anticipated, thus giving Albus the advantage.

"No proof?" snarled Daphne. "The fact that the goblet spit out five times instead of three is considerable proof that someone has tampered with it. You were the one who called out Harry's name when the slip of parchment didn't even have his name, and you think all is well?"

"Don't take that tone with me, Miss Greengrass" said Dumbledore dangerously. "I'm the Headmaster of this school and you will show me some respect."

Daphne growled, her tigress instincts taking control again. "It is difficult to respect a man who is hell bent on getting my fiancé killed."

"Miss Greengrass that's enough from you" snapped Professor McGonagall, coming forward. "Potter, in you go" she said, pointing towards the entrance to the chamber where the other three champions were waiting.

Harry breathed deeply to get his wild emotions back under control. His hair colour returned to its original jet black, his skin stopped glowing and the small lightning bolts disappeared. But his eyes were still glowing bright green. He calmly walked towards the chamber off the hall with Daphne by his side and Professor Flitwick in tow.

"Miss Greengrass where do you think you're going? The briefing is for the champions only" snapped McGonagall, only to receive no response as Daphne calmly followed her fiancé into the room.

As they entered, Cedric looked up from where he had been talking to Fleur in hushed tones and said "Harry? What are you doing here? Do they want us to go back to the Great Hall?" he asked confused.

"The Goblet of Fire has been tampered with, Ladies and Gentlemen" said Daphne curtly. "His name seems to have come out _twice,_ and the Headmaster is hell bent on making him compete. I assure you that he did not place his name in the Goblet. He swore a magical oath in the Great Hall to that effect."

Suddenly, Bagman entered and said joyfully "This is extraordinary! Let me introduce you to the fourth champion!" With that he started clapping, only to stop when he saw the furious faces of Harry and Daphne.

"This is _not_ a happy occasion Mr Bagman; I hope you do well to remember that" said Harry quietly, but the venom in his voice was not missed.

"Eh" said Bagman nervously. "Of course not, Lord Potter; my apologies."

But just then a large group entered the room as well. Fleur immediately went to her Headmistress. "Madam Maxime, there seems to be a mistake. How can Monsieur Potter be chosen as the fourth champion? What is going on?" she said, the translation potion making Harry and Daphne clearly understand what she was saying.

"I would like to know that as well, Dumbledore! What is the meaning of this?" snapped Madam Maxime.

"Two Hogwarts champions?" said Karkaroff angrily, but his eyes betrayed him as it showed undisguised glee. "We were under the impression that your age line would prevent anyone under the age of seventeen to put their names in the Goblet of Fire. Never would I have thought your students would resort to such disgusting actions such as -"

"Oh, don't act all high and mighty Karkaroff" snapped Daphne. "You were there in the Great Hall when Harry swore an oath on his life that he didn't enter himself. Or are you too stupid to realise that tampering has taken place after the Goblet spit out two extra pieces of parchment?"

"How dare you talk to me like that?" said Karkaroff, acting as though he was deeply insulted. "Is this how your students behave Dumbledore? I would have thought -"

"Oh just shut up Karkaroff, we know what you are" snapped Harry. "I don't need a Death Eater to lecture me about behaviour and disgusting actions. I'm here only to find out the next course of action. Since I didn't enter my name in the Goblet of Fire, I'm not obligated to compete in the tournament, end of story."

"How dare you?" yelled Karkaroff. "This is a personal insult! I can't take such insults lying down! My students and I will be immediately leaving as we have had it with Hogwarts' disgusting actions."

"Empty threat, Karkaroff" said a gruff voice. Everyone turned to see Alastor Moody limping into the room. "Your champion can't leave. None of them can leave. Binding magical contract; convenient, huh?"

"Convenient?" snapped Karkaroff. "What are you blabbing about _Mad-Eye_?" he sneered.

"Oh, don't get so uppity Karkaroff" said Moody amused. "Everyone knows of your Death Eater past, so don't try to hide it. As for the Goblet, someone put Potter's name in it, knowing that he would have to compete if his name came out. It's probably a murder attempt. Get him into the tournament and just wait for him to injure himself. It was also clearly a case of tampering as they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object. It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament. . . . I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under fourth and fifth schools, to make sure he was the only one in his category. Very intelligent to do it twice, so as to trap him" he explained.

In a fraction of a second, Harry caught Daphne's eye and acted.

"You seem to have given this a great deal of -" said Karkaroff, but was interrupted when there was a flash of light, blinding everyone in the room. Dumbledore drew his wand, but just then, the light cleared. Everyone turned to see Alastor Moody on the ground, stunned and under several binding spells.

"Mr Potter" yelled Dumbledore and McGonagall at once, looking at Harry's wand pointed at Moody. "How dare you attack a teacher like that?" said Dumbledore. "I'll have you suspended for this!"

Harry chose to remain silent, watching Moody closely. He had just figured out something which had baffled him last night. He had been browsing through the Marauder's Map late last night when he saw Alastor Moody entertaining Barty Crouch in his office. The wards had informed him that there was one extra unaccounted person in the castle; he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was going on, as for that he would have to take control of the wards from Dumbledore, but the castle did inform him about a few things. He realised that Moody was somehow involved in the incident with the Goblet of Fire. The bizarre behaviour of Moody, coupled with his perfect readymade answer as to how Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire this soon after the incident made it way too suspicious.

Daphne immediately went over to Moody, picked up his hip flask and opened it. "Polyjuice potion" she declared after smelling it.

"If he were indeed Alastor Moody, I doubt I would have been able to land a spell on him" said Harry calmly. "Call the Aurors."

"That won't be necessary" said a voice. Everyone turned to find Lady Amelia Black, Head of the DMLE standing at the doorway with two Aurors and Lord Sirius Black.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 40**

 **"** **I don't care about that" said Harry frowning. "I can take care of myself. But I'm worried about the dragons and their eggs. I don't want them hurt.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Harry is chosen as the fourth champion! No, I can't change that as it is an important phase of Harry's life. But he certainly did figure out the Moody wasn't what he was. In canon, while he saw that Barty Crouch was raiding Snape's potions store, he didn't know about Crouch Jr. But this time, he has access to the wards of Hogwarts however limited, and he used the map to his advantage, so as to keep danger at bay. I have always found it fishy that Dumbledore didn't figure out that Moody was impersonated. Surely the wards would have told him _something?_ How could he not recognise such an old friend for an entire year? If that were the case, Crouch Jr should be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor!

As for Dobby, there are certain things that can fool house-elves; they aren't invincible after all, even if they have powerful magic that witches and wizards don't. Maybe Crouch used a disillusionment charm along with strong notice me not charms? He certainly wouldn't have marched to the Goblet without protection to put Harry's name in. He was by no means stupid; we can infer that from canon. But he couldn't stop Dobby's magic in nullifying the residual magical signature, which made the fourth parchment to come out blank. The confundus charm still remained, which was why the fourth parchment appeared. I'm not sure how the Goblet of Fire works, which was why I used the handwriting of the contestants. In fanon, it is accepted that blood is used for magical contracts, so why is it that the Goblet doesn't require it? Not sure, which is why I haven't included it.

As for the fifth parchment, Harry and Daphne are smart; no denying that. But they still don't have the experience of Albus Dumbledore who is more than a century older than them. Dumbledore is certainly powerful and knowledgeable and so no one can directly pin the blame on him. But he never expected the fourth piece of parchment to come out blank. Even if it did, he didn't expect Daphne to remove it from his grasp. Any other time, she wouldn't have been able to do so, but the notice me not charm on her locket was a dark variety (and quite illegal, I might add), which fooled Dumbledore for a few seconds. That distracted him, which didn't give him time to stop the goblet from spitting out for the fifth time.

Since we don't see an actual contract, I assume that the contract between the champions and the Goblet of Fire is an implied one, so we can't really verify it. Harry could say that he didn't enter it, so there was no intent. But this was charmed by Albus Dumbledore himself. He isn't stupid enough to risk his life and magic in case he is proven wrong. It's a situation of damn if you do, damn if you don't. He will just have to admit defeat that Dumbledore one-upped him, even though he took precautions. But that doesn't mean Dumbledore will remain unaffected due to this event.

As for Fleur, I have always wondered how Veela procreate. If she is a quarter Veela, how are the rest of them born? Do they have male Veela as well? Not sure, as canon doesn't provide any reference to that. That's why here, I have implied that Fleur a full Veela. Maybe they use wands as well? Maybe some don't like it and are trained in the native heritage while others go to the outside world. Not really sure, so I'm open to suggestions.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Call the Aurors"

"That won't be necessary" said a voice. Everyone turned to find Lady Amelia Black, Head of the DMLE standing at the doorway with two Aurors and Lord Sirius Black.

"Lord and Lady Black" said Dumbledore frowning. "May I ask what you're doing here?" He was mentally seething as well as afraid. What in Merlin's name was going on? He had hatched a perfect plan, but nothing was going as planned! How had Harry figured out that Moody was an impostor?

"We had been watching the selection of the champions on our E-Mirrors, Albus" said Sirius coldly. "And I would like to know what game you're playing with my godson. How did his name come out of that blasted goblet?"

"That can be answered once we have questioned this one here" said Amelia. She was looking at the hip flask which Daphne had handed to her. "Going by the quantity of polyjuice potion, our dear Moody should be transforming anytime now."

"This has all been a big misunderstanding" began Dumbledore, but was silenced with a glare by both Amelia and Daphne. Both of them had furious looks on their faces. Suddenly, they saw Moody's skin bubbling. Everyone turned to look in shock and disbelief as Alastor Moody's face changed to –

"Barty Crouch" declared Harry. "Junior"

Everyone turned to look at a white faced Crouch Senior, who seemed unable to speak. Amelia narrowed her eyes. "Can you explain how your son, who was supposed to have died in Azkaban, is alive and well Mr Crouch?" she asked in a deadly voice.

Crouch Sr remained still, not speaking a word. The rest of them were too shocked to react. Immediately, Amelia fired a binding charm on Crouch Sr as well. "Arrest them both" she said flatly to the Aurors she had brought with her.

"Well, Dumbledore?" snapped Sirius. "Care to explain how a Death Eater impersonating your old friend managed to elude you for two whole months? Or can you explain why you're trying to force my godson into this tournament?"

Dumbledore remained quiet, looking at both Crouch men being escorted out by the Aurors. "I have no idea about what is going on. But clearly, Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire. He has to compete; all four of them of them will. It is in the rules, which is what they will do."

"But Dumbledore" began Maxime.

"My dear, Madam Maxime, if you have a better alternative, I would be delighted to hear it" said Dumbledore.

"If you think Harry is going to compete just because you say so Dumbledore, then you can forget it" said Daphne angrily.

"I agree" said Sirius. "There is no way I'm taking your word for it that there is no way out."

"Mr Bagman I will need a copy of the Triwizard rules" said Harry quietly. "You can expect to hear from the Gringotts Legal Department soon. I think we're done here. Thank you for your help, Professor Flitwick. I greatly appreciate it."

With that, Harry, Daphne, and Sirius walked out of the room, leaving behind a stunned crowd. They never knew that there was uproar all over the country and the world. Dumbledore mentally smiled. " _There is no getting out of this Harry_ " he thought. " _You are trapped. Let's see how you handle this. I hope you can forgive me, my boy. But it is all for the Greater Good. You are well and truly caught in my web._ "

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The headlines in the Magical Daily newspaper in the following couple of days were a shock to those who hadn't watched the selection of the champions on their E-Mirrors.

 _CHAMPIONS SELECTION FOR TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT GOES AWRY; FOUR CHAMPIONS SELECTED_

 _Victor Krum of Durmstrang, Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons and Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts are the Official Champions_

 _HADRIAN POTTER, THE BOY WHO LIVED FORCED INTO THE TOURNAMENT_

 _Goblet of Fire spit out two extra pieces of parchment; who tampered with it?_

 _DUMBLEDORE TRYING TO FORCE HADRIAN POTTER TO COMPETE! DOES HE WANT TO SEE THE BOY WHO LIVED KILLED?_

 _Hadrian Potter swore a magical oath on his life declaring his innocence in the matter_

 _DEATH EATER POLYJUICED AND IMPERCINATED ALASTOR MOODY; RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING POTTER'S NAME IN THE GOBLET_

 _Barty Crouch Jr still alive! Crouch Sr got his son out of Azkaban!_

 _DISGRACED FORMER DIRECTOR OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT CROUCH SR PLACED HIS SON UNDER IMPERIUS CURSE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE!_

 _Crouch Jr conjured the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup!_

 _'_ _NOT SURE ABOUT HIS MOTIVES BEHIND PLACING LORD POTTER'S NAME IN THE GOBLET; UNBREAKABLE VOW PREVENTING US FROM FINDING THE TRUTH' SAYS DMLE DIRECTOR LADY AMELIA BLACK_

 _Crouch senior and junior to be sentenced to the Dementor's kiss_

 _'_ _DUMBLEDORE A DISGRACE TO OUR COUNTRY' SAYS LORD GREENGRASS_

 _'_ _Dumbledore on probation' says Lady Augusta Longbottom, speaking for the Hogwarts Board of Governors_

 _Filius Flitwick replaces Minerva McGonagall as Hogwarts Deputy due to her being negligent in her duties; Narrow vote and Board divided over the matter_

 _'_ _LORD POTTER HAS TO COMPETE; IMPLIED CONTRACT BETWEEN POTTER AND GOBLET OF FIRE' SAYS LORD RANGOK OF GRINGOTTS BANK, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF HIS CLIENT_

 _'_ _Name from homework assignment used for entering Potter into the Tournament' explains Professor Flitwick_

 _DID DUMBLEDORE ENTER POTTER'S NAME IN THE GOBLET?_

 _'_ _ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IS PERSONA NON GRATA WITH THE POTTER FAMILY' SAYS LORD POTTER; LORDS BLACK AND GREENGRASS FOLLOW SUIT_

 _Minister Fudge declined to comment_

 _IS THIS ANOTHER ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE OF THE BOY WHO LIVED?_

 _'_ _Watch last night's incident on your e-mirror' says Magical Daily Press_

 _'_ _DISCOUNTS OFFERED ON PRODUCTS UP TO THE DATE OF FIRST TASK OF TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT' SAYS SERENA MILLER_

 _Watch the three tasks on your E-Mirrors; now available in various sizes. Rush to your nearest Miller's Magical Mirrors store today!_

Harry sighed due to exhaustion. He was sleeping on a couch in the Room of Requirement, with his head on Daphne's lap, with her playing with his hair.

"I can't believe Dumbledore would put my name in himself" muttered Harry.

"Me neither" said Daphne softly. "I didn't think he would want to get his hands dirty, but I guess he was desperate. Dobby stopped Crouch's attempt which was why the fourth parchment came out blank, but it looks like Dumbledore put your name in the goblet _before_ he placed it in the entrance hall; which was when Dobby started his watch. Are you sure there is no way out?" she asked, stroking his face with her hand, looking at him worriedly.

"No" said Harry. "There is no written contract between the champions and the Goblet of Fire. It is implied that once chosen, you will have to see it through to the end. The rules state the same as well. But I have ensured that they don't brand me as the Hogwarts champion. That went very well with the student population, though I don't like their looks of pity any better."

After the debacle on the night of the selection, the next morning Harry had gone to the Great Hall and publicly announced that he did not consider himself to be the Hogwarts Champion; that title and prestige belonged solely to Cedric Diggory. He then asked the rest of the student population to instead give Cedric their undivided support, as he, Harry was forced into the tournament, and he was taking part only because there was no way out. Needless to say, Harry was declared an honorary Hufflepuff due to this statement. Ravenclaws were happy that their house was also represented, even if it was by accident, and the majority of the Slytherins were curious about how Harry would perform. The Gryffindors were indifferent since there was no one from their house, and many were still upset over having a Hufflepuff champion (personally, Harry couldn't wait to publish Godric's journal, just to slap everyone in the face and get rid of the stupid stereotypes). Some idiots, led by Ron Weasley, still believed that Harry was a glory hound and that he entered it himself. But they were quickly cursed and pranked by Fred and George. Draco Malfoy had tried to discredit Harry as well, but no one was that stupid. They had all seen Harry swear a magical oath on his life and besides, Harry was way more powerful and influential that the ferret Malfoy, so no one listened to him.

"I just want to know why he placed my name in the goblet" said Harry frowning. "Both Crouch and Dumbledore know something. What is it? Is it Voldemort? Is that why I was entered into the tournament? But if that's the case, why do they go through so much trouble? An assassination attempt would be more efficient and they could have done that at the Quidditch World Cup. We can't even find out the reason behind it from Crouch because there is an Unbreakable Vow in place that is stopping him from revealing the truth. Damn it! We can't pin it directly on Dumbledore either, so he was able to avoid a thorough investigation. Not only that, he still seems to have supporters, which was why he couldn't be booted out as Headmaster. But I'm glad they put him on probation."

"I'm happy McGonagall got the slap in the face that she deserved" said Daphne with a sneer on her face.

Harry nodded. "Flitwick would surely do a good job. I would like him as Headmaster too" he said, his voice trailing off.

"We'll have to increase your training" said Daphne.

"Already on it" replied Harry. "I've been looking through various books about the tournament, and it's usually based on some element of nature and magic. And the first task will always have something to do with some dangerous magical creature. I got a notice from Gringotts. I own a Dragon Reserve in Romania, and guess who just ordered four nesting mother dragons to be brought to Britain?"

"Nesting dragons?" hissed Daphne. "Are they insane? There's nothing more deadly than facing a nesting mother dragon, as they're incredibly protective of their clutch. The champions could very well be roasted alive! This tournament is done to promote International Magical Cooperation, not attend the funerals of champions!"

"I don't care about that" said Harry frowning. "I can take care of myself. But I'm worried about the dragons and their eggs. I don't want them hurt. The dragons didn't do anything to us! This is the kind of sport I hate when it comes to witches and wizards. Why can't they understand that dragons are sentient magical creatures and not toys they can play with?"

Daphne shook her head in exasperation. Leave it to Harry to not bother with his life, but instead worry about the health of the dragons. Didn't he understand how worried she was? This tournament was insanely dangerous; that was why it was discontinued! She felt like kidnapping Dumbledore to the dungeons of Potter Castle, and then torturing him until he was nothing but a gibbering, crying mess. He deserved it for all that he had done to Harry.

Harry could sense the emotional turmoil that was gripping his fiancée. He got up from her lap, pushed her down on the couch, and kissed her passionately. Daphne moaned as he felt the tension of the past few days melt away.

"Don't worry, Daph" said Harry soothingly, kissing her face tenderly. "I'll be careful. Nothing will happen to me. I'll ensure that I'm prepared."

"I hope so" whispered Daphne, just as a tear fell from her left eye.

"I know so" whispered Harry, kissing her eyes tenderly, wiping the tear away. "Trust me; I won't let anything happen to me. I'll be with you, always. Nothing can tear us apart. Not Dumbledore, not Voldemort. Understood?"

"Okay" said Daphne in a slightly shaky voice as she hugged him tightly. "I love you"

"I love you too."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next couple of weeks passed quickly at Hogwarts. Even though Harry had told everyone that he wasn't the Hogwarts champion, many people treated him like one. It was nothing bad; it was just that he received a lot more attention than he was used to. The four champions were all very popular in their own right, and this created a horde of fan following that tended to annoy Harry and as an extension Daphne as well.

Fleur Delacour already received a lot of attention due to her being a Veela and because her allure tended to influence the boys. Victor Krum was an International Quidditch star, and he had his own gang of fans and stalkers – both boys and girls. Cedric was already quite popular and good looking, and this created a storm of girls in sixth and seventh years who were following him around everywhere, trying to catch his attention. But none of them had it as bad as Harry did.

Harry was the Boy Who Lived, and he already had an enormous fan following even before the Triwizard debacle. But what was more was that he was desired by nearly every girl from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang alike! Girls used to sigh and giggle every time they caught sight of him, and he had heard rumours from Astoria that the many girls now had large posters of him in their dorms, which he frankly found to be creepy while it also boosted his ego. Tall, with a muscular frame, shoulder-length silky black hair, very handsome features, and vivid green eyes made him the object of adoration for many, and this annoyed Daphne. No one seemed to care that Harry was already engaged to be married. Astoria had reported that it had spread out of Hogwarts and Britain as well, as many had seen him on the E-Mirrors on the night of the selection of the champions. From what she had heard from one of the girls from Beauxbatons, even though Harry was throwing a fit that night, many girls all over the world were drooling at his unnatural good looks.

Of course, Daphne wasn't faring any better. She had received several letters through owls from students from the other schools who asked her if she would like to go on a date with them. Harry was furious when he counted no less than twenty different letters from different boys, most of them describing how beautiful they thought she was. Daphne, of course, found the whole experience amusing and just vanished the whole lot of them, but their make out sessions did get a lot more frequent and intense due to them wanting to prove to the other that they weren't interested in anyone else.

A week before the first task, the Weighing of the Wands ceremony was scheduled to take place. Harry entered the classroom and saw Victor Krum was standing in a corner, not talking to anybody, while Cedric and Fleur were talking softly to each other. Harry smiled softly at them all and went to engage Krum in a conversation about Quidditch, while the other asked Harry about his experience in Duelling; Harry was an International Duelling Champion after all.

About ten minutes later, Mr Bagman arrived, beaming, along with Albus Dumbledore, Madam Maxime, Igor Karkaroff, other delegates, the press (who brought along the crystal which showed everyone the live telecast, much to Dumbledore's displeasure), and the wandmaker Garrick Ollivander.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.

"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches . . . inflexible . . . rosewood . . . and containing . . . dear me . . ."

"A hair from the head of a Veela" said Fleur quietly.

Ollivander nodded and proceeded to test her wand. Once he was satisfied, he went on to Cedric. Harry paid close attention to what was being said about their wands, as it could give him some insight on how their personality worked; he had studied the basics of wand lore, something which he found to be quite interesting.

"Unicorn hair . . . Twelve and a quarter inches . . . ash . . . pleasantly springy" he said and tested it. With that, he moved to Krum.

"Ah, a Gregorovitch creation, isn't it? Yes . . . hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees . . . quite rigid . . . ten and a quarter inches"

Once tested, he finally came to Harry, who presented Ollivander with his highly polished wand.

"Ah yes" said Ollivander quietly. "The most unusual wand ever sold by my family. Yew and Nundu heartstring . . . fourteen inches . . . very rigid"

Mr Ollivander spent longer examining Harry's wand, while others gaped at him when he mentioned the wood and core. Yew was considered a very powerful wood in wands and was quite feared in duelling circles; they also tended to have a dark reputation due to their power. Nundu heartstring being used in wands was unheard of by anyone present in the room and they were looking at Harry as though he weren't human. Nundus were considered as the most powerful magical creature in existence, and to have a wand which had a heartstring of a nundu was unimaginable. It became very clear to others that Hadrian Potter was not a person one should mess with.

The wand maker tested it and gave it back to Harry, who flicked it back to his holster without comment, his face expressionless. Once the photographs were taken, Harry calmly left the room, going back to the kitchens for lunch. Suddenly, he wasn't in a very chatty mood. He wasn't worried about him getting any negative news; he owned the press after all. But the reaction he had got from the others when Ollivander had described his wand had put him off.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"Absolutely not" said Harry firmly.

It was three days before the First Task and the dragons had finally arrived. Just as Harry had suspected, they were not happy to have been brought here away from their home, nor were they happy to be caged.

"The dragons are already in danger due to this damn tournament, but there is no way are you risking the eggs by placing them in the arena. They could be destroyed by accident and I'm not going to let so many unborn dragons be killed just because witches and wizards have such a poor sense of what is _fun_ " he said to the Head Dragon Keeper of the Romanian Dragon Reserve. They were standing in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest and the dragons were putting up one hell of a fight several feet away.

"But Lord Potter, the tournament officials -" he said but was interrupted.

"As far as I'm aware, I'm the owner of the reserve Mr Dorian" snapped Harry. "The tournament officials have no business ordering you about and neither does the British Ministry of Magic or the ICW. There will be no eggs placed in that arena, _is that clear_?"

The Head Dragon Keeper swallowed nervously. He had thought that meeting Hadrian Potter would be a joke; after all, he was just a fourteen-year-old boy. But the second the man saw Potter, he knew who was clearly in charge. The young boy just seemed to ooze magical power, and he seemed to fill the space in that no one else could compare to him. You couldn't help but listen to him, as he posed a commanding presence, which frankly unnerved the older man.

"But Lord Potter, the eggs are part of the task" he said nervously. "It has been specifically requested by the Triwizard Committee which has been commissioned by the ICW. We have a contract, sir, and we have to go through with it."

Harry folded his arms over his chest and looked at the dragons which were all stunned by several of the dragon handlers. The committee wanted eggs, but he wasn't willing to risk them. So the only option was –

"I'll provide you with charmed duplicates" said Harry finally. "Switch them with the real eggs and place them in the arena. Make sure that the mother dragons know that their eggs are safe; I don't want them to go on a rampage. How many are there in each clutch?"

"Ahm" said the Head Keeper, looking at his notes. "There are fifteen each, sir; that makes it sixty eggs in total".

Harry snorted. "There is no way am I risking the lives of sixty unborn dragons for this piece of shit. If the Triwizard Committee discovers the switch, just tell them that you were following orders and direct them to me. I'll handle them" he said flatly.

"Yes sir" he said, mentally breathing a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to deal with those people in case the worst happened. He was more than happy to shift the responsibility of explaining it to them to his newly discovered boss.

"And make sure you have Healers who specialize in dragon care nearby" ordered Harry. "I don't want the mother dragons fatally injured as well. Once the tasks are over, ensure that they are treated for their injuries. If Healers aren't here right now, ensure that they are present at the arena on Thursday. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Potter" he said.

Harry nodded to the man and before he left, he paused. "You'll find the substitute eggs by tomorrow evening. Also, ensure that none of the real eggs are misplaced. I will not have anyone stealing the real eggs and replacing them with fakes so that they can be sold on the black market. If I catch anyone doing that, trust me when I say they will be looking for a new job, along with a nice stay in prison. Ensure that your employees are clear on that matter as well. And remember, I will know if I'm being deceived. Good day, Mr Dorian."

"Damn" whispered the Head Keeper, wiping his brow, watching Harry walk away. He was so glad that Lord Potter had not figured out that he had wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and steal the real eggs. Now there was no way was he even going to try something like that; Potter might only be a fourteen-year-old boy, but he clearly was capable of destroying their lives in an instant should they fail him. He would have to talk to his staff so that nothing unusual happened.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The day of the first task was on the 24th of November. The stadium where the first task was to take place had been erected, with many witches and wizards paying entrance fees to come watch it. It was not as large as the stadium of the Quidditch World Cup, but it was huge never the less. Large mirrors were placed everywhere so that they could see the champions' progress up close. Millions of witches and wizards around the world were now watching on their E-Mirrors too, wanting to see how the task would take place.

Daphne followed Harry to the edge of the champions' tent. Her face was pale and she hugged him tightly. Harry grunted due to the pressure.

"Please be careful" she whispered, doing her best not to cry. "Just grab that stupid egg and come back to me safe and sound."

"I will" said Harry, and he kissed her passionately. Once they broke apart, he gave her one final hug and proceeded into the tent.

Fleur, Victor and Cedric were all already present. Harry nodded to each of them and took a meditative posture so as to work on his Occlumency shields. He knew that all four of them knew about the dragons, so he wasn't worried about fair play. He owned the Dragon Reserve and knew about it; Krum was told by Kararoff; Fleur was told by Maxime while Cedric was told by his dad. Harry had wondered if he should tell Cedric about it but took one peek into the boy's mind and found out that Amos Diggory, who worked for the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures knew about it and had informed his son.

He had been meditating for several minutes when he was interrupted by Bagman entering the tent. The champions were instructed to put their hands in the bag and remove a variety. Cedric got the Swedish Short-Snout; Fleur got the Welsh Green; Krum got the Chinese Fireball, while Harry got the Hungarian Horntail.

"These are what you will be facing after going through, ahm, a couple of steps" said Bagman, beaming at them. "The theme for the first task is fire. Good luck to you all!"

Harry was the fourth selected. The tent blocked out all sound which came from the outside so he had no idea what was happening. Two hours later, he was called. He breathed deeply, flicked his wand to his hand, and exited the tent. He entered the arena to face the first task

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 41**

 **She cornered him a couple of times and professed her love to him. What was worse was that she seemed to be under the delusion that Harry would still marry her, going so far as to tell him that she would name her child after Dumbledore!**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** If anyone has not understood what happened in the previous chapter regarding the two slips of parchment, please go back and read it. I have inserted a few sentences, right after the part where Flitwick catches the fifth parchment and I have added a few words in the AN as well. If you still don't understand, I'll be happy to answer your questions.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Harry entered the arena and saw thousands of faces looking at him from their seats. He could see himself on the enormous mirrors that were placed around the stadium. To his confusion, he didn't see the dragon; in fact, the arena seemed to be empty. He activated his mage sight and sensed a ward. He frowned as he didn't like to go forward and find himself in a trap.

The audience watched Harry close his eyes for a few seconds. He then, to everyone's intense shock, didn't move forward like the other three champions had done. Instead, he slowly walked around, one step at a time, while his right hand was raised in the air as if he was searching for something.

"Look at that everyone!" shouted Bagman. "It looks like our youngest champion is doing something unconventional. Just what is he up to? The other champions just walked right through it to find the ring of fire in their path, but it seems Hadrian Potter thinks something is amiss."

After nearly a minute, he found it. Every ward always had a trigger for something else, and he had found his. There were more advanced ones that hid it better, but this was designed with NEWT students in mind. Besides, he had dealt with its kind before. Harry caught hold of a magical grip in mid-air, and using his wand that was in his left hand, he tapped the ward grip. Immediately, something started shimmering in front of him, and he took his chance.

" _Bomborda Maxima"_ he said mentally. A white beam of light flew from his wand and hit the ward. There were flashes of light as the ward came down. As the magical disturbance cleared, Harry looked around and his eyes widened.

The crowd roared and Bagman shouted, his voice booming "Outstanding!" he shouted. "Our youngest champion knows more about warding and curse breaking than those older than him! And what was that method? Was he sensing magic? He literally felt the ward trigger without uttering a word, and then blasted it apart! Such subtlety and advanced knowledge are not seen even by the most experienced witches and wizards. Sweet Merlin, he is surely a one to watch out for."

But Harry wasn't listening to them. Staring at him were three ten foot long Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry couldn't believe that the Triwizard Committee would actually breed Fire Crabs with Manticores and violate a law just for the blasted tournament. The Skrewts were inching forward towards him. Harry acted fast. He knew from fire crabs that their shells protected them from most minor to medium spells; and this hybrid would probably be worse, given that it had the deadly power of a manticore as well. Conventional tactics won't work and he did not want to get anywhere near those creatures.

Harry pointed his wand and dug three deep holes in the ground. He ensured that they were diagonal to the path of the incoming Skrewts.

" _Wingardium Leviosa"_ he said mentally, and all three Skrewts rose above the ground.

" _Aguamenti!"_ he cast and a very large and forceful jet of water flew from the tip of his wand and impacted the underside of the Skrewts. Being fire creatures, water was their disadvantage. Finally, he used the water still remaining on the creatures and cast " _Glacius"_

The Skrewts froze in ice, and Harry dropped each of them in individual holes in the ground. He then proceeded to encounter another ward. He didn't hear the crowd cheering for him loudly as there were wards in place so that the champion didn't get distracted due to the noise.

"Amazing! Spectacular! Brilliant!" yelled Bagman over the crowd of cheering people. "He didn't even scratch himself, while the other three champions struggled to get past those creatures! Good Lord, did you see him levitate all three of them at the same time, and still use spells while maintaining the charm? I just can't believe it! Sheer genius, Ladies and Gentlemen; fire creatures don't react well to water. And he used it on the most vulnerable part of the beast and put them in pits so that they couldn't get out. What a stroke of brilliance from Hadrian Potter!"

"A compulsion charm weaved into a notice me not ward?" whispered Harry to himself as he examined the ward in front of him. "Nice touch. It would make the champions walk right through it and fall into the next trap. I'm impressed."

Harry similarly disabled the ward which prevented him access and saw a huge Hungarian Horntail resting close to her eggs, or truthfully, charmed fakes that looked like eggs. He saw a gleam of gold in the dragon's nest and he knew that he had to get the golden egg. He had figured out what to do a few days ago, but he didn't know if it would work. Okay, time to start.

Harry silently cast a disillusionment charm on himself and used a natural air freshening charm to remove his scent while silencing his feet. He was completely invisible to the naked eye.

"Did he just disillusion himself silently?" asked Bagman in disbelief. "Sweet Merlin, he's only fourteen years old! Just how talented is he? But then again, we're talking about a boy who killed a seventy-foot long basilisk when he was twelve, so that's saying something!"

Harry then looked at the Dragon, who was looking around for any threats. Once he was confident that the dragon had not detected him, he silently said " _Expecto Patronum"_

Three enormous silver thunderbirds erupted from the tip of his wand and flew towards the dragon. The patroni would help calm the dragon so that it would accept the offering.

" _Accio Hagrid's roosters"_ said Harry. The thunderbird patroni were flying around the dragon who seemed to be enjoying the company, but it was only due to the happiness and positivity being radiated from them that the dragon didn't attack them.

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" said Bagman, as the crowd screamed as they had never screamed before. "Did Hadrian Potter just conjure three fully corporeal patroni at the same time? Just what is that kid made of? Conjuring just one is incredibly difficult, but conjuring three at the same time is something no one has ever heard of! Mr Potter surely has created a new record today! Good Lord, pretty soon, we'll probably have a chocolate frog card in his name, no doubt" he said as the crowd laughed and cheered.

Pretty soon, a dozen roosters flew into the arena due to the summoning charm. Harry cast an Enlargement charm on them to make them bigger and then made sure they wouldn't escape. He purposely kept them a bit away from the nest so that he could approach it with safety. He then cast charms on the roosters that made them give out an aroma that would definitely excite the dragon.

He was right. With the patroni dancing around, the dragon was already very happy, and now it had a meal as well. It looked around, and after making sure there was nothing that could be a threat to its eggs, it went forward to roast the chickens and eat them. While it was happily feasting on them, Harry quickly went to the nest and removed the golden egg and carried it away from the dragon, and into a safe enclosure. He cancelled the disillusionment charm and the patroni too disappeared. The crowd roared loudly.

"Look at that!" yelled Bagman. "Just look at that! Our youngest champion is the quickest to get his egg, and he did it without even a scratch on his body! Is that amazing or what? Merlin, this is surely going to shorten the odds on Mr Potter! Congratulations to Hadrian James Potter on getting through the first task of the Triwizard Tournament! Now, our judges have a few minutes to decide their scores."

Harry was shaking from head to toe as he walked towards the medical tent. He had done it. Apparently, the dragon wasn't the only task, but there were others as well, but he had finished the task without harming the dragon and without getting injured. He was actually very proud of himself. Suddenly, a body slammed into him and he grunted because of the sudden pressure.

"I told you I'd be alright" he said grinning into her hair as Daphne hugged him tightly. She released him and proceeded to kiss him forcefully and passionately. Harry put the other hand that wasn't holding the egg around her and returned it with happiness, just as someone cleared their throat.

They broke apart to see Sirius and Amelia Black along with Cyrus and Elizabeth Greengrass looking at them with amused expressions on their faces. Daphne blushed brightly, but Harry didn't care. He gave the egg to Daphne and pounced on Sirius and Amelia, grabbing them both in a hug at the same time, and then did the same to the older Greengrasses as well.

"I'm so proud of you" said Sirius, once again grabbing his godson in a hug. "Merlin I was so worried."

"As were we" said Elizabeth smiling widely. "You were amazing Harry!"

"You were the best of them all!" shouted a voice. Harry turned and saw Neville grinning at him, with Susan, Hannah, Tracy and Astoria standing next to him. Harry went over and gave a hug to them as well. He was ecstatic and was pumping with adrenaline. Once done, they heard Bagman say, "The judges have decided on the scores for Mr Hadrian Potter. First up, Madam Maxime of Beauxbatons"

Maxime pointed her wand in the air and shot out a large ribbon, which twisted to form a large ten. The crowd roared. Dumbledore too shot out a ten from his wand. Traditionally, two people from the hosting government would also be on the judging panel; but this time, the ICW, to ensure that there would be absolute fair play, had invited the heads of two other countries to judge each task. Not only that, but all judges also had to sign contracts that said that they should award points without bias, so there was no room for any discrimination. The President of Magical Brazil shot out a ten as well. The Minister of Magic of South Africa awarded Harry ten. Finally, Karkaroff, who looked like he was going to be sick, pointed his wand in the air and shot out a ribbon which twisted itself to form - a ten.

"Spectacular!" yelled Bagman over the cheering crowd. "Hadrian Potter scores a perfect score – fifty points! He is in first place, followed by Victor Krum of Durmstrang who scored 41 points; Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons who scored 38 points and Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts who scored 37 points! Congratulations to all four of them! The second task will be held on the 24th of February! Thank you all for coming! The First Task of the Triwizard Tournament officially comes to a close"

"You scored a perfect score!" yelled Daphne and she literally pounced on him, hugging him tightly. Harry grinned as he held on to her. He really was proud of himself and couldn't stop grinning. The first task was done.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"The eggs weren't real" shouted a wizard of the Triwizard Committee at the Head Dragon Keeper. "We had a contract. The dragons were probably docile because they couldn't sense the eggs!"

"Sir" said Head Keeper Dorian nervously. "I was only following instructions from my superior, sir. He absolutely refused to let the eggs anywhere near the arena -"

"We thought you were the one in charge, Dorian" another witch snapped. "Just who is this boss of yours?"

"That would be me" said a voice.

Everyone turned to look at Lord Hadrian Potter standing at the doorway. "Potter?" said a man in disbelief. "Just what do you have to do with this? And how did you find out about the dragons? That means you knew about the task beforehand! We will be reporting you for cheating."

Harry's eyes flashed bright green and his aura flared. "I have a title, Mr Sunder" said Harry quietly.

"My apologies, Lord Potter" said the man with great effort. He clearly didn't like bowing down to a fourteen-year-old boy. "But the fact of the matter is, you had no right to -"

"That's where you're wrong, Mr Sunder" said Harry. "The dragon reserve from where you ordered the four dragons for the first task is owned by me. Did you think I don't keep track of my investments? And please tell me what your problem is with regard to the eggs."

"The eggs were not real" said Sunder testily. "We had a contract that said -"

"-that said that you need four nesting mother dragons with eggs" finished Harry. "But you never specified that they had to be dragon eggs. We could as well have brought chicken eggs for the task. I was not willing to risk the eggs and my concern turned out to be warranted. Mr Dorian, how many eggs or so called eggs were destroyed in the first task?" he asked lightly.

"Only the Horntail eggs were not harmed. Between the other three champions, seventeen fake eggs were lost" he said, thankful that he didn't have to deal with the Triwizard Committee.

"Seventeen eggs, Ladies and Gentlemen" said Harry calmly. "That would have been the number of unborn dragons killed because of this tournament. Sorry, but I will not let so many dragons be killed nor will I be held responsible for the misery of the mother dragon for it losing its clutch."

A wizard of the committee scoffed. "So what? They're just eggs and -"

He didn't finish his statement because the air became very frigid all of a sudden. Everyone thought that a dementor had suddenly entered the room and was searching for it, but instead, they caught sight of a furious Hadrian Potter. His eyes were glowing bright green, with lightning bolts visible in them; his hair had turned white and bolts of lightning surrounded his body. Some of them stepped back in shock.

"Just eggs?" he said in a whisper. "Really? How would you feel if I tossed your newborn baby there while your wife killed it by accident or someone else killed it to get to a stupid golden egg, all for a game?" His voice was quiet, but the cold tone made the members of the committee involuntarily shiver. They paled when he compared the eggs to babies.

Harry took their whitened faces. "That's what your beloved first task was about. The dragons killed their own babies while trying to protect them. Look outside" he said, jerking his head towards the window.

Everyone saw a spectacle of the dragons cuddling their eggs and wailing in happiness. The dragons clearly had thought that they had destroyed their eggs, and were overjoyed to see that their eggs were actually safe and sound.

"I am disgusted by what you all think about the feelings and emotions about sentient magical creatures" said Harry, distaste clear on his face. "The dragons are magical too, aren't they? You're all magical too, aren't you? What's the difference? Do you want to try again Mr Sunder? I don't mind redoing the task. How would you like to bring your grandchildren here and place them as bait for the task?" he snapped, looking at the ashen face of the obnoxious older man.

"And you all think you're better than muggles" sneered Harry. "If this is the behaviour you show towards fellow magical creatures, then you're no better than those muggles themselves. You want to file a case against me for Breach of Contract? Go ahead. I'll fight it right up to the ICW if I have to. I will not let even a drop of magical blood be spilled for such arrogance, whatever species they may be. Am I clear?"

"Yes Lord Potter" said Sunder, quite nervous about the way the scene was playing out. Was this truly a fourteen-year-old boy? Sunder was vaguely reminded of Albus Dumbledore when he was much younger.

"Good. Glad we reached an understanding" said Harry, who turned on his heel and marched away, his hair turning back to its original jet black.

"Damn. I don't ever want to mess with him" said a witch of the committee.

"That's what I said" muttered Dorian.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

There was a party thrown in the Ravenclaw common room for Harry. To his utmost surprise, he was hoisted into the air by his housemates while throwing him up and down. He shook his head in amusement. Ravenclaws were always called nerds and bookworms and had very rarely had open achievements like this besides the high ranks of the students in their exams. Harry winning the first task with full marks was basically like telling everyone that Ravenclaw prides itself in being intelligent, which is what made them successful and that it is more important that simply being daring and blasting things apart with loud spells and bangs.

"Open the egg Harry" yelled Anthony Goldstein. The others encouraged him as well, so Harry took the egg which was again returned to him and he opened it. The moment he opened it, there was a loud, screeching sound, so he immediately shut it.

"What the hell was that?" asked a second-year girl.

"Not sure" said a seventh year frowning. "It's probably a message; some sort of clue as to how to decipher it and listen to the puzzle."

"He's right" said Harry grinning. "I figured out what it is, but tell you what. Do your research on what it could be and come back to me. I'll tell you if you're right or wrong."

"Ah ah" said Padma Patil, smirking at him. "You just want us to figure it out and tell you. Instead, why don't you give us a clue if you have already figured it out?"

Harry laughed. "Alright, I see your point. Hmm, Bagman told us that the first task was based on fire, and so we had two fire based creatures and wards. What do you think would be the next task?"

The Head Girl groaned. "Don't tell me it's that simple! I already figured it out!" she said exasperated.

"Wait" said Terry Boot. "Are you saying that the second task is going to be based on another element?" he asked slowly.

"Fire is done" said Lisa Turpin. "That leaves earth, air and water; but those are only the basic elements."

"Here's another clue" said Harry smiling. "We can't listen to the puzzle normally; so that rules out air."

"It's water" declared a sixth-year boy. "The language is Mermish, isn't it?"

"Ding ding ding!" said Harry grinning. "We have a winner. Ten points to Ravenclaw!" he said, making the others laugh.

"So you just have to submerge it in water and listen to it and you'll find out what it says" said a third year excitedly.

"Yeah, but I'll also have to prepare for it" said Harry. "Trust me, all four of us knew of the dragon; it wasn't difficult to find out considering we could see them from the tower" he said, and others nodded in agreement. "But the Skrewts and wards were something we weren't expecting, and that's where the other three lost time and points. The Triwizard Committee wasn't stupid; they knew that cheating was part of the tournament. So they informed the head of the schools about the dragons, but not the extra pieces here and there. They will be unpredictable, so we'll have to prepare accordingly."

This was the reason Harry loved to be in Ravenclaw. He was surrounded by people who didn't mind such discussions, and he loved every moment of it.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry looked at the Diadem of Ravenclaw which was in his hands. This was the quickest way by which he could learn a variety of spells and other forms of magic. He had long ago finished NEWT syllabus and was concentrating on high powered magic and wards, which he had been studying from the Potter Library. But his device would help him access all of Riddle's memories; he wasn't looking forward to it, but it had to be done. It could learn all about the man's secrets and tactics so that it would help him in case of a duel to the death. With that in mind, Harry placed the diadem over his head and returned to a meditative state. He would be there for several hours at a stretch. It would take weeks or even months of sorting through the memories, and then he had to practice them. But he had to learn more magic if he was to be Voldemort's equal. This step was crucial, even though he wasn't looking forward to it at all. A peek into the mind of a man who had murdered several hundred people if not more was nothing going to be a pretty sight.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry dodged another spell. "You're using spells that can be dodged easily" yelled Harry. "The whole point is to make sure the other is incapacitated as quickly as possible."

When he said that, a tigress suddenly pounced on him, pinning to the ground. She roared in triumph.

"I hate it when you do that" muttered Harry, looking at the tigress looming over his face.

"But you can't complain about it being effective, right? It's like one big shock to my opponent" said Daphne, transforming to herself.

They were in the Room of Requirement, duelling with each other one afternoon. Just then, Dobby popped in. "Master Hadrian, Miss Daphne, Dobby needs to speak to you" said the elf nervously.

Harry got up from the ground and looked at the elf. Dobby had been improving since he had been bonded to the family. The other elves were teaching him proper etiquette, so Dobby was less eccentric than before, though Harry had told Dobby that he was fine the way he was and didn't need to change.

"What is it Dobby?" asked Daphne.

"Well . . . Dobby's friend Winky was the Crouch elf. But since her masters be in Azkaban, she was given clothes; she is very upset. Dobby thought that Master and Miss could help Winky?" he asked hopefully.

"Do you want us to bond Winky to the family?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Hadrian Potter sir!" said Dobby, bouncing up and down, his eccentric personality returning. "Dobby wants to help Winky"

"Alright then, why don't you call her?" said Daphne. Immediately, a slightly drunk house elf popped next to Dobby.

"Hello sir and miss" said the elf shyly. "Winky be wondering if you be wanting her in your family. Winky be a disgraced elf" she wailed.

"Don't worry Winky" said Harry soothingly. "I'm not going to sit idly by while you kill yourself. I would love to have you in the family."

Winky's face brightened. "Winky accepts!" she said happily. There was a light glow, and immediately, a change was noticeable in that Winky became more cheerful.

"Thank you Master Hadrian, Miss Daphne" chorused both elves and popped out.

"Hmm, cute couple" said Daphne, looking deeply amused.

Harry looked at her in bewilderment. Suddenly both of them started laughing loudly. They couldn't ever imagine house elves dating. Harry amused himself with the thought of Dobby and Winky going to a theatre or watching a game of Quidditch. He shook his head. He was probably too stressed to even consider such thoughts. He needed a break and luckily, the Yule Ball was approaching. It was time to let off some steam.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry felt like banging his head against the wall. The Yule Ball had been announced to the whole school by Dumbledore, and many were very excited at the prospect of going to the ball with the champions. He couldn't begrudge them for that, as they probably wanted to have a good time at the ball. But what annoyed him were the Boy Who Lived fan girls, the head being one Ginny Weasley.

Ever since Harry had saved Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets, she would squeak and blush every time she saw him. He was fine with that, as many other girls tended to do the same. But what was happening now was that Ginny had gained some confidence. She cornered him a couple of times and professed her love to him. What was worse was that she seemed to be under the delusion that Harry would still marry her, going so far as to tell him that she would name her child after Dumbledore! Harry felt sick just by listening to that. What else was going on was that several girls got into a fight about who was going to ask him to the ball. He had already been approached and asked to the ball by no less than sixty different girls from all three schools and Harry was baffled as to why they bothered with it at all, as it was very readily confirmed that he was going with Daphne, who was his _future wife_!

Speaking of his future wife, she had it bad too. Nobody seemed to care that the two of them were engaged to be married, as she had been repeatedly approached by many of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang boys (not Hogwarts, as she was feared by reputation alone, and no one wanted to anger her as he spells were quite painful, though it still didn't stop from some brave souls trying to ask her). So by the time the Yule holidays set in, both of them were exhausted in just staying away from the masses. It seemed their reputation as the best looking boy and girl in Hogwarts was not unfounded, as nobody was willing to give up on them.

The other three champions weren't spared either. Victor Krum spent all his time in the Hogwarts library, and Fleur Delacour was getting frustrated by the way boys would behave just to ask her to the ball, but there was a rumour that both the foreign champions had found dates already. Cedric Diggory had politely told anyone who asked him that he was already going with someone else, much to Cho Chang's displeasure, who had bragged to her friends that it was only a matter of time before Cedric asked her to the ball. She threw filthy looks at Daphne every time she passed as the hex which Daphne had cast on the girl had ruined her reputation, not to mention her face. The boils had lasted for several months, much to Luna Lovegood's happiness.

But the festive season didn't deter Harry from learning more. He was accumulating more knowledge from both Riddle's memories and from the Potter library and was practicing in the Room at a furious pace. Now was not the time to get complacent. Crouch and Dumbledore had entered his name for a reason, and he had to be prepared for anything.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

"Harry you need to stop this" said Daphne worriedly.

"Stop what?" asked Harry as he gasped for breath. He had just finished another intense round of duelling against the best of what the Room of Requirement could throw at him.

"Stop exhausting yourself like this!" said Daphne pleadingly. "You are always studying or practicing magic at a rate that might be harmful to you! I didn't say much over the past few years because you at least went to bed on time. But now, you barely sleep at all, and don't think I haven't noticed how you have been getting more irritable lately. How long do you sleep every night?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "A couple of hours?" he answered testily. "It doesn't matter. I have to prepare for the worst. I don't understand why you're mad about that."

"Look!" said Daphne disbelievingly. "There it is again! I haven't said anything at all, and you're already snapping at me. Harry, please. You can't go on like this. Don't sacrifice your sleep. At least sleep for a good four to five hours. I beg of you. It won't do you any good if you are always tired and irritable. You would feel weak without it. Please Harry, do it for me?"

Harry sighed in exasperation. There it was again, the dreaded 'Do it for me' phrase. But as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was tiring himself out every day. Maybe Daphne's words did have merit. Maybe he could sleep for a couple of hours, just to make her stop nagging him.

"Alright" he said softly as he placed his head on the couch, intending to take a short nap. He was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow.

Daphne looked at him worriedly. She kissed his forehead and idly moved the strands of hair from his eyes. She hated the amount the pressure that this year had brought on Harry's shoulders. The sad part was that there was nothing she could do about it except offer emotional support.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore was looking at the scenery out of his office window, while drowning another glass of firewhisky. How had all this gone so wrong? He had to review. Where did the problems first begin?

It had been years ago that the first problem had cropped up – Harry's disappearance when he was a seven-year-old boy. He had tried to find the boy but in vain. He had even checked the Book of Admittance, but it had not been updated, so he had no choice there but to wait till Harry turned eleven. He had even sent several letters with tracking charms on them, but anti-mail wards had been placed which deterred the owls, making them come back without the letters being delivered. Since the silver instruments monitoring Harry had been destroyed (Albus still didn't understand why), he had tried to use Harry's blood which was kept in his safe, but to his shock, that along with several other items belonging to the Potter family (including the Invisibility Cloak) had disappeared! He wasn't able to find him, and this had resulted in Harry coming to Hogwarts emancipated, with full knowledge about his family and the magical world. Then there was the wand. Albus had been so absolutely sure that the Holly and phoenix feather wand would choose Harry, but that was not the case; Harry was the owner of a Yew and Nundu heartstring wand, so he could very well fight Voldemort if necessary.

Next that happened was Severus being put in Azkaban and Sirius Black being cleared of all charges. That was a big blow to Albus as not only had he lost his precious spy, but the Lord of the Black family and Harry's godfather was released. Along with that, he was removed as Chief Warlock and he had lost his position as the newly elected Supreme Mugwump of the ICW as well. That was something which he had not expected, but he later found out that it had all been planned by Amelia and Harry, with the help of some other influential people like Unspeakable Croaker and Augusta Longbottom. Then there was that damned marriage contract between Harry and Daphne Greengrass, which had thrown a wedge in his plans of him marrying Ginny Weasley. Ginny was now trying to get close to him, but was the point? Harry and Daphne have been together for three years now, and it was near impossible for him to interfere in their relationship. He thought he had struck gold in the Chamber of Secrets incident, but Harry emerged triumphant, gaining more political advantage than Albus had ever foreseen.

Then there was that blasted Magical Daily Press; Albus had looked at who owned it, only to find someone named Frank Olive as the owner. Who the hell was he? He had hit a roadblock there, even with the best of Albus' resources at his disposal. Then there were those mirrors; the bane of his existence. How could he hush things up when the news got out so quickly? The Daily Prophet was never as efficient as the new newspaper and its mirror channel, and this was bad for politics. And now, the debacle with the Goblet of Fire; his name had been smeared through the mud and had been declared persona non grata by three Most Ancient and Noble Houses, which drastically reduced his influence in the Wizengamot. Crouch being arrested didn't help matters either, and now Alastor Moody was also pissed with him that he had not recognised the impostor for what he was. Watching Harry during the first task made Albus want to cry; the boy was a lot more talented than he wanted him to be, even if it reminded of himself at that age. How had his plans gone so wrong? The only silver lining was that Harry was still somewhat under control because of the contract with the Goblet of Fire. He hoped that little Tommy would be able to set it all right.

Albus Dumbledore soon passed out on his table, drunk. Poor Albus didn't notice that because of the force of him hitting the table, the chess pieces on the table, namely the white and black king, both fell away from the board and hit the ground.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 42**

 **After a particularly romantic song, Harry dipped Daphne and slowly but passionately kissed her. They were interrupted when they heard thunderous applause and whistles.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** I was shocked at the number of recommendations I received about wanting Harry to speak to the Dragon in parseltongue. As much as I would have liked to do that, I feel it is used too many times in other fics. I hope you liked the first task. I didn't want to change the main theme of the task, but instead, add more things to make it more appealing. Those wards which Harry disabled would have resulted in more traps with fire based magic and creatures. And if you're wondering about Frank Olive, the owner of the press, yes, it's a fake name which Harry created. After all, the Magical Daily Press has to be registered under somebody, and Harry created an alias with fake information. I'm sure he would have been able to do that with the right amount of money to different people.

Thank you all for your support and reviews!


	42. Chapter 42

WARNING: Again, there are minor lime scenes mentioned in this chapter.

Chapter 42

It was the evening of the Yule Ball. Harry looked at himself in the large mirror in front of him, apparently satisfied with his appearance. He was wearing a silk shirt of sapphire blue which perfectly matched Daphne's dress; a silver vest and tie; black trousers; and his black robe was expertly styled and was made of very expensive Acromantula silk, with sapphire blue highlights. The robe was the same he had worn for Sirius's wedding, but he had gotten it altered and the colour of highlights changed from silver to blue. He looked down and saw his basilisk hide boots. They were very fashionable, as he had got them commissioned by the best person for the job who lived in France. The witch was startled by the basilisk hide as they were not at all available in large amounts; getting access even an inch of it was extremely difficult, but she designed them without question. They gleamed black under the lightning charms but would gleam blackish green in sunlight. He looked at his wrists and saw a watch Sirius had gifted him a couple of years ago, and on the right was Daphne's newest present – a bracelet designed for men with protection charms which could detect poisons and potions. They weren't strictly legal as the magic used on the bracelet was questionable, but Harry didn't care; it was dead useful. The bracelet was a chain, with gold on the inside and several diamonds on the outside. Harry didn't even want to ask her how much it had cost as he knew it was ridiculously expensive. The shopkeeper who sold it to her must have been showering blessings and praises at Daphne for just buying it and giving him so much money.

Both Harry and Daphne were in the Room of Requirement as they wanted to go together and not separately. So he stepped out of his dressing room and waited for Daphne. After about five minutes, she came out. Harry looked at her and his breath caught in his throat.

Daphne was wearing a sapphire blue knee length dress, with several silver highlights and designs on it. It too was expertly made by a designer in France and it fit her perfectly. The dress was sleeveless and it articulated her breasts and curves very well. Elizabeth Greengrass had given her daughter access to the family jewellery; so Daphne was wearing a beautiful diamond and sapphire necklace (no doubt to impress her fiancé), matching long diamond earrings, and a matching bracelet. On her left wrist was Harry's newest gift to her – a beautiful watch which Daphne absolutely loved (Harry had made it a priority to take Cyrus with him for his usual Yule shopping; this time Elizabeth was raving about the gifts her husband had got her, and his father-in-law had thanked him profusely, making Harry even more loved by the Greengrasses; baby Dylan especially loved Harry and Daphne often complained that her baby brother loved her fiancé more than he loved her, his own sister) and was wearing a pair of silver coloured heels to compliment the dress. Her hair too was expertly styled, and she left it long as Harry preferred it that way; she also had a matching diamond sapphire ornament in place to hold her hair. Long story short, she was drop dead gorgeous. Fleur would have some intense competition in case people wondered who would be considered the best looking girl at the ball.

"What do you think?" she asked softly, looking at the shocked expression on her fiancé's face.

"You are so beautiful" whispered Harry. "And I'm so glad you're mine."

Daphne giggled. "Thanks, Harry. You look very handsome as well. Should I be worried about a certain Veela friend of yours who might try to snatch you up?" she asked amused.

Harry rolled his eyes. Daphne had developed a friendship with the Beauxbatons champion, and he was sure that she had set the older girl up with some boy. He didn't know who as she wasn't telling, but he knew that she was no way insecure about his feelings. Harry had no idea that Fleur was indeed attracted to him. Daphne had realised that she had to take care of it, so instead of blowing things out of proportion and losing a possible ally, she set her up with someone else. She wouldn't let anyone sniff her fiancé. Hopefully, by the end of the night, Fleur would be attracted to her date and not Harry. If not, well, Daphne would use more subtle but forceful methods to reason with the Veela.

"Haha" he said sarcastically. "Maybe you should keep your wand on you in case a certain Weasley turns up, but otherwise it's fine."

Daphne smirked and patted her right forearm where the demiguise hair lined newest technology dragon hide wand holster was strapped, containing her wand to be called when ready. "I'm always prepared for such an event, though I doubt she would try it after I confronted her last time" she said smirking.

"What did you do?" he asked hesitantly, wondering if he wanted to know.

"You don't want to find out" she said, as she took his offered arm. Both of them left the Room of Requirement and headed to the Great Hall. Once they reached the entrance hall, many people were gawking at them. They reached the place where McGonagall was standing with the champions. To Harry's shock, it looked like Daphne had paired Fleur with Cedric Diggory! Well, it certainly made Fleur happy, as she didn't have to go with someone who solely lusted after her, as Cedric was calmly talking to her without any problem. Harry blinked his eyes when he spotted the girl next to Victor Krum.

"Daphne, please tell me I don't have to interact with Granger tonight" said Harry softly.

"I'm sorry, Harry" said Daphne pulling him towards them. "But this is a public event and you're the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. You're expected to maintain a certain standard. Speaking of which, make your Potter ring visible for tonight"

Harry immediately understood the meaning behind her words and in a second, the large red diamond ring gleamed from his right ring finger. They went forward and greeted the others. Harry shook hands with Cedric and Victor and kissed Fleur's knuckles. When he extended his hand to take Hermione's, the girl sniffed and turned the other way. Harry calmly put his hand down and turned his attention back to his fiancée, who was fuming at Granger's insult towards Harry. Fleur too was standing there with a look of shock on her beautiful face. Hermione was lucky that Victor Krum hadn't seen it as he was busy talking to Cedric.

"Daphne, it's okay" said Harry soothingly. "I expected it. It's a public place and the media will be hounding us for the rest of the night. Calm down, tigress" he whispered in her ear.

Daphne breathed deeply and reinforced her Occlumency shields, but she couldn't help but smile when Harry called her tigress. It was a term of endearment he sometimes used when she was being particularly fierce and feisty. Soon, the clock struck eight and the other couples were ushered into the Great Hall. The doors of the hall closed and the champions stood in front of it, expecting to be called in any second. Cedric and Fleur stood first, Victor and Hermione second, and Harry and Daphne third.

The doors of the Great Hall opened and they walked in. People started whispering when they saw the champions and their partners.

"Diggory and Delacour?"

"Is that Granger with Krum?"

"Sweet Merlin, Greengrass looks hot!"

"Harry looks so handsome tonight! I wish I could have gone with him!"

"Daphne's dress is so beautiful"

"Damn, I wish Greengrass wasn't already taken!"

"How is it fair for Potter and Greengrass to go together? There are so many other boys and girls who wanted to go with them! _I_ wanted to go with Potter!"

"Bloody hell, Potter and Greengrass sure know how to dress!"

"Harry and Daphne look so adorable together!"

Daphne could hear many of the whispers due to her enhanced hearing, so she tried very hard not to smirk. Harry looked at the Great Hall. It was beautifully decorated, and it had also been magically expanded to three times its size, so was very large. Along with the heads of the three schools, there were also heads of several different magical governments present, along with the Triwizard Committee and other members of the International Confederation of Wizards. This was perfect. This was the reason Daphne had told him to show his ring around as it was a perfect time to make new contacts.

There were hundreds of small round tables all over the hall, similar to Harry's design of the formal dining room at Black Manor when Sirius and Amelia got married. Speaking of which, he could spot them as well (Amelia was the Director of Magical Law Enforcement; there was no way she could not be invited). While she had come along with Sirius, there were not many other Wizengamot members as thankfully Fudge didn't want to make the ball too political as it was a school event after all (even if there were other politicians present).

They all sat down at a large round table meant for the champions and other important delegates. Harry helped Daphne sit down and he sat down next to her. To the surprise of others, there were menus which could be used to order what they wanted. Harry had known about this beforehand, and to ensure that the elves didn't burn themselves out, he had asked the Potter elves to help the elves at Hogwarts (he was Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin, and had a duty to look out for their interests). The elves had been grateful, but it didn't stop them from adding more dishes to their menu because of the additional help.

They slowly ate dinner while socializing with others, idly appreciating the beautiful music being played by the orchestra which was called just for performing during dinner. Granger didn't even talk to Harry and Daphne, instead chose to spend more time talking to Victor Krum. Both of them were more than fine with it, as they had more important things to deal with, like talking to important politicians from different magical countries.

Once everyone was finished with dinner, Dumbledore vanished most of the tables while leaving behind the ones in the corner which was now filled with drinks and dessert. The orchestra was to play the first song for the champions, and would then be taken over by The Weird Sisters. Harry stood up and helped Daphne by offering her hand. They slowly walked to the middle of the dance floor and took their position. Harry put one hand on her waist while holding another with his hand. They looked into each other eyes and saw the love and adoration for the other; they smiled softly at each other and started dancing when the music started.

Once the champions started dancing, many others came up to the dance floor and started dancing as well. Neville Longbottom was dancing with Susan Bones; Hannah Abbott with Ernie Macmillan; Tracy Davis with Blaise Zabini; Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall; Hagrid and Madam Maxime. But Harry and Daphne didn't care about those around them as they were lost in their own world. The orchestra stopped and The Weird Sisters took over, but yet the two of them were lost in each other's eyes and danced without a care in the world.

They danced for several songs, not noticing that they now had quite a large audience. The crystals of Miller, sold to many different companies from fashion to news were surrounding them, showing them to millions of witches and wizards all over the world on their E-Mirrors. After a particularly romantic song, Harry dipped Daphne and slowly but passionately kissed her. They were interrupted when they heard thunderous applause and whistles.

Harry and Daphne opened their eyes and stood upright. They saw the audience surrounding them, applauding for their performance. They blushed but regained their composure quickly. They stepped off the dance floor to get some drinks; they were tired and thirsty after all. They thanked many who commented positively about their dance performance and took a few cold butterbeers.

"Look at Ron Weasley" said Harry. Daphne spotted the boy wearing the ugliest dress (she couldn't call them robes), with an angry expression on his face, looking at Krum and Granger.

"Well, well" said Daphne. "Looks like Granger has an admirer. Wonder why she didn't come to the ball with him."

Harry rolled his eyes. "He probably never asked her, and now is angry that she didn't go with him. It is par for the course for Ron Weasley, so no surprises there."

"What in Merlin's name is he wearing anyway?" she asked, frowning.

Harry shook his head. "I have no idea. And let me tell you, I grew up wearing Dudley's cast offs, and they were much worse than this. Petunia actually used to dye my clothes so horribly that no one would want to come near me because of the smell. But that was in the muggle world. Here, I'm not sure why his mother didn't just charm them herself to make it look better. Sure, it would lack quality and style, and the charms would vanish after a couple of days, but why did he just wear them without attempting any magic on them? It baffles me that pureblood witches and wizards think like muggles sometimes" he said, exasperated.

Suddenly, Sirius came over to them, followed by Amelia.

"You both were amazing!" said Sirius. "You should have seen the boys and girls watching you with jealousy and awe clearly on their faces. I'm so proud of you two! Ah, I was just like you, Harry. Girls used to flock to me too, you know. Why, let me tell you about a particular incident with this girl in the broom closet on the second floor -"

"Ignore the dog" said Amelia coming over. "He'll be fine after a few spankings with a rolled up newspaper" she said, rolling her eyes.

Harry and Daphne snickered. But instead of feeling indignant, Sirius grinned. "There's no feeling like being spanked and bossed over by her in bed" he said, with a naughty grin on his face. "She truly is the boss, isn't it? You two might want to try it. It's really naughty and kinky."

"This is not the place to give advice to your godson about sex!" whispered Amelia furiously.

"Oh, nonsense!" said Sirius waving his hand. "He probably knows what I'm talking about. He's fourteen anyway. How was the experience, you two?" he asked grinning knowingly.

"Sirius we haven't done that!" exclaimed Harry, going red in the face, while Daphne laughed herself sick. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't?" asked Sirius in shock, avoiding Amelia's swats with her hand. "Well then dear godson, it looks like another conversation between us is imminent. I should have sent you a carton of PlayWitch magazines as a present; oh well, better late than never! Or better yet, I'll send you a magical copy of the Kama Sutra; it's excellent, trust me."

"Another conversation?" asked Harry, his eyes wide. "Daphne, let's go. Aunt Amy, the dog is yours to do as you wish. Give him a few extra swats from my side won't you?" he said, grabbing a laughing Daphne, steering her away.

"Oh, I intend to" said Amelia dangerously. "You do this just to get in trouble with me, don't you?" she asked.

Sirius just grinned and said "I went to the muggle world and got a pair of shackles. Now it can be a real Auror and prisoner. After all, I have lived in Azkaban. How would you like that?" he said huskily in her ear.

Amelia closed her eyes. "Oh, how I love to hate you Sirius. This party is over. Let's go home. I have a certain prisoner of Azkaban to deal with. And he's been a total _dog_ and deserves punishment" she said, dragging him out.

Sirius just grinned. James would be proud of the tactic he had pulled. It was going to be a wonderful night indeed.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry and Daphne spent the next several hours dancing with each other as well as talking to many important people. It was nearly two thirty in the morning when they stumbled into the Room of Requirement, exhausted. They spent several minutes in silence, removing their clothes and other articles, not caring that they were both in the same room. Once done, they just collapsed on the large bed the Room had created for them. They didn't bother with clothes as Daphne was only in her bra and panties while Harry was only wearing his boxers.

"Thanks for a wonderful night Harry" said Daphne, kissing his cheek. "I loved it."

"You're welcome" said Harry, moving on top of her and kissing her deeply. Daphne moaned as he sucked on a delicate spot on her neck. "You're so beautiful" he whispered, kissing her again while his hand squeezed her breasts.

They continued making out for several minutes until finally, fatigue overtook them and they went to sleep, with Daphne's face buried in his chest. A blanket magically covered them as well, making them warm and comfortable. A small smile appeared on both their faces.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, Harry got up and saw Daphne looking at him with a smile on her face. Apparently, she had been watching him sleep. She adoringly tapped the tip of his nose and said "Good afternoon, sleepy head. I've been watching you sleep for more than half an hour."

Harry groaned. He hugged her closer and murmured "What time is it?"

"It's just past noon. Think it's a good time to crack that egg of yours?" she asked.

Harry made a noise of annoyance and buried his head under her chin. She giggled as he lightly kissed her breasts. "I'm not in the mood for that" he whispered, his breath tickling her.

She ran her fingers through his silky black hair. "What if I make it interesting?" she asked delicately.

"And how are you going to do that?" came his muffled voice.

"Skinny dipping" she declared. "We can crack the egg together, and you'll get a good view as a bonus."

Harry immediately removed his head from her chest. "You're serious?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"No, that's your godfather" said Daphne with a smirk. "But yes, I am serious about us skinny dipping." With that, she called for an elf who brought the golden egg from Harry's room in Ravenclaw tower. She stood up, and Harry couldn't help but stare at her body; he was a fourteen-year-old hormonal teenager after all.

"Are you going to stare at my boobs with my bra on, or are you going to get up so that I can reconfigure the room and take them off?" she asked in amusement.

Daphne chuckled as Harry got off the bed in lightning fast speed. She closed her eyes and envisioned the bathroom she wanted. Their surroundings shimmered until they were standing in a duplicate version of –

"Hey! This is my bathroom at Potter Castle!" exclaimed Harry.

"I know" replied Daphne, walking towards the enormous bathtub. "I really liked how it is designed. You're ancestors really knew how to make things a lot more luxurious than those already living in the lap of luxury."

She activated the various taps with a flick of her wand, and placed the golden egg at the side of the bath. She proceeded to look through the various flavours of bubbles, and finally settled on vanilla. She poured the contents into the bath and the smell immediately filled the room. She turned to find Harry suddenly look away; apparently, he had been admiring her arse.

Daphne rolled her eyes. He didn't need to feel embarrassed. She went over to him and kissed him. "I don't mind you staring at me" she whispered. "If you don't stare at me, who else will you stare at? I'm your fiancée. There's nothing to be ashamed about Harry. I won't be mad if you stare at me for however long you want."

Harry smiled softly at her. "Alright. I can't help but admire you. You're really the most beautiful girl in the world" he told her sincerely.

Daphne blushed but smiled never the less. Harry truly believed that she was so, and it baffled her as there were clearly prettier girls than her. But it warmed her heart that he genuinely felt that way, which was why she had decided to take this step.

"Thank you for that. Now, do you want to go first?" she asked, a bit nervously.

Harry bit his lip and slowly nodded. He stepped back from her and slowly removed his boxers, which immediately showed his erect penis. He stood there nervously, not meeting her eyes. Daphne came forward and kissed him softly. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about" she said.

Harry smiled nervously and walked over to the tub, immersing himself in the water. Daphne faced him and slowly but nervously removed her bra and panties. Once she was done, she stood naked in front of him. Harry looked at her with awe in his eyes as he whispered, "I repeat what I said. You're the most beautiful girl in the whole world."

Daphne smiled as her confidence slowly came back to her and she walked to the tub and stepped in next to Harry. He slowly put his arm around her and kissed her. It started off slow, but soon, once they gained confidence, Daphne was sitting on his lap.

"Why don't we work on the egg fist" said Daphne, breathing deeply. Harry nodded. He took the egg, plunged it into water and opened it. Both of them put their heads in the water and listened.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past an hour — the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

"There's no way I'm letting them take you!" said Harry as they resurfaced. "You'll be at risk just being in the lake in the middle of February. For all we know Dumbledore might try to set up a murder attempt and say you were fatally injured during the task!" he said angrily.

"Do you really think Dumbledore is that stupid, Harry?" said Daphne frowning. "I agree that I'm the one who'll be taken, but there is no way Dumbledore is insane enough to try to kill me when there are millions of people watching. He's doing his best to keep his position of Headmaster; he's not about to risk it just to try to kill me. Think about the backlash to such an attempt! No, he is more cunning than that."

Harry leaned back towards the wall of the tub and pondered what she said. It made sense. "Alright. But we're taking every precaution possible. I'm not going to risk your life and let you get injured. You're too precious and important to me Daphne! I won't let anything happen to you" he said heatedly.

Daphne smiled and climbed on his lap. She cupped his face with her hands and looked into his eyes. "I don't for a moment doubt your love for me, Harry. We'll take precautions; we'll map out the Black Lake so that we don't run into any surprises, and we'll research the best method possible for you to complete the task. Is that okay?"

Harry smiled. "Okay" he said. "Now, how about we have some fun and leave all that for later, Lady Potter?" he said, squeezing her bare breasts as one hand travelled downward, between her legs.

Daphne leaned down to kiss him as her hand gripped his erection. "As you say, Lord Potter."

Needless to say, they never emerged from the Room of Requirement that day, and their friends were wondering where they had disappeared to.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Draco Malfoy was depressed. It was the day after the Yule Ball and he couldn't help but want to cry. He had gone to the ball with Pansy Parkinson, hoping that Daphne Greengrass would be jealous. He had waited in the Great Hall for those stupid champions to come in, and when they did, he was speechless.

Daphne Greengrass was so beautiful he couldn't even form coherent thoughts; she was wearing a stunning dress with matching jewellery and looked like the picture perfect Lady of an Ancient and Noble House. What baffled him was Hadrian Potter. He too was dressed in amazing designer clothes, looking handsome and dashing, and Draco couldn't help but feel self-conscious in front of his cousin (Oh, how he hated that he was even remotely related to that boy). How was he supposed to get Greengrass if her fiancé dressed like that? And then there was the dance. The way the two of them had danced had left his jaw hanging; they moved like one body with two souls, and he couldn't even comprehend that!

Draco Malfoy wanted to cry. All his beautiful dreams of the future where he would rule the country with an iron fist lay in ruins.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Ginny Weasley was depressed. When she was growing up, her parents always read her stories about the Boy Who Lived. Her mother promised her that she would one day marry Harry Potter. She had been devastated when she found out that he was already betrothed to Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin girl. It baffled her how a perfect Gryffindor (she still didn't believe that Harry Potter was a Ravenclaw) could be engaged to a slimy Slytherin. How did that happen?

When she had come to Hogwarts, she was amazed to spot her future husband (according to her at least) sitting at one of the house tables. He was so handsome! He was quite tall for his age, his face was perfect, his hair was so silky and his green eyes were so dreamy! Oh, she couldn't wait to get married to him!

When he rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets, she realised that he was richer than she had initially realised. He lived and grew up in a castle! Ginny had started daydreaming about how her life would be when she got married to Harry and lived in his castle. She could live like a true princess, and her price was the Boy Who Lived! All the girls would be so jealous of her! She had even picked out the names for their children – James, after Harry's father; Albus, after Harry's mentor Dumbledore; and Lily, after his mother. They would be a perfect family, and her mother agreed that she should be bolder and tell him.

But that's when everything went downhill. When the Yule Ball was announced, she was so _sure_ that Harry would ask her. But he never did, so thinking he was shy, she went to him instead. She blurted out her feelings for him, but instead of kissing her like how they did in stories, he rejected her, telling her that he was already engaged to Greengrass! How could he do that to her? But she didn't give up and kept asking him out, until that evil Slytherin decided to show her face.

Ginny shivered when she thought about their meeting. She had never seen such cold eyes in her life. She had heard that Daphne was dubbed the Slytherin Ice Queen, and she could now understand why. The girl had not wasted any time in threatening her and her family and fired some painful and very embarrassing hexes on her so as to leave Harry alone. Daphne had said that Harry was hers and no other girl could ever get even remotely close to him.

Then Ginny saw them at the Yule Ball. Daphne looked so beautiful that Ginny couldn't help but feel nervous. When she saw Harry, she knew that he was her future husband. He was dressed like a King, and looked so handsome. But when she saw the two of them dance, her heart broke. How could Harry do that to her? He kissed that Greengrass girl in front of all those people! Didn't he care about her feelings at all? She, Ginny Weasley was his future wife!

Ginny wanted to cry. All her plans for the future lay in ruins.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore was so stressed out that he had already passed out on his table, drunk. Fawkes had finally had enough and had abandoned him after the Goblet of Fire incident. How could he show that he was the leader of the light if he didn't have a phoenix with him? Harry had also charmed so many powerful politicians from around the world at the Yule Ball. Albus wanted to cry, as he helplessly watched as Harry and Daphne charm their way through so many powerful and influential witches and wizards, giving them more influence, and taking away his.

Without being able to bear it, he had taken a bottle of firewhisky and finished it. And this was the result. He had passed out drunk in his office. Aberforth, who supplied his bother with firewhisky, wondered why his stupid brother's intake of alcohol had increased so drastically recently. Oh well, he didn't care. This was probably his brother's new fetish.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 43**

 **Once done, he proceeded to the hostages again. In a few minutes, he found the colony of the merpeople. What was strange was the way the merpeople bowed to him when he arrived, so to show respect, Harry bowed back.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Thank you all for your reviews! How many of you liked Fleur's pairing with Cedric? I didn't want to leave those two behind as I like Fleur, and everyone feels bad about what happened to Cedric in canon. So that means there won't be a Bill/Fleur pair. I'm sure he could find someone else in Egypt.

As for those who believe that Harry and Daphne are moving too fast in their relationship, well, maybe you're right. But I wanted them to make a move on in their physical relationship, so I did. They haven't gone to the point of no return, as I've stated before, they aren't ready for that. But if you put two teenagers in a room for long periods of time and who spend nearly every moment with the other, things tend to heat up.

For those who believe that Dumbledore is too whiny, well, he will take action, but not now. How could he stop Harry from talking to others? Besides, I've always wanted a scene where he was passed out drunk. Imagine how Voldemort would act when he is drunk! Lol.

Finally, to ThunderSphinx, I have already sent you four Private Messages. I'm not sure if you have read them, but I would be happy to engage in a discussion about the topic.

Enjoy!


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Harry and Daphne emerged from the Black Lake, wet and shivering. They fired warming and drying charms on themselves and immediately headed for the Room of Requirement. Once there, a Hogwarts house elf provided them with some hot coco, and they sat in front of a roaring fire.

"So, we're tried both Bubblehead charm and Gillyweed" said Daphne, cuddling up next to her fiancé. "Which do you prefer?"

Harry looked into the fire with a frown on his face. "Neither, actually. While the bubblehead charm works perfectly, it will be difficult for me to swim, while the gillyweed helps me swim very well, hinders my wand movement. If only there was something which would help me move like gillyweed, but I could retain my agility with my wand . . ."

After a few moments, Daphne asked, "Why don't we create a potion based on gillyweed?"

"Excuse me?" he asked bewildered. "There's no gillyweed potion, Daph, you know that."

"Of course I do" said Daphne. "That's why we're going to create one. We'll try to use the properties of gillyweed so that you can sprout gills and improves movement in water, but doesn't go overboard in that you can still use your wand and cast quick spells."

Harry's eyes lit up. The Ravenclaw in him couldn't help but try it out. "Alright" he said smiling. "If it works, I'll use it. But if it doesn't, we can always go with gillyweed. Agreed?" he asked.

"Agreed" said Daphne, asked the Room for books on Gillyweed and other potions.

They were only fourteen, but they had started on the path that would soon gain them recognition all over the world.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry opened his eyes and removed the Diadem of Ravenclaw as he shuddered. Watching those memories as he learnt from the Dark Lord was not a pleasant experience. He reinforced his Occlumency shields. Daphne had noticed changes in his behaviour and only then had Harry realised that those memories were affecting him emotionally. He wished he could stop it, but he was leaning a lot from watching the demented Dark Lord fight. It was a necessary evil. Several feet away, Daphne was busy working on the potion; several cauldrons simmering away nearby as she took detailed notes. It was the last week of January, a whole month since they had come up with the idea of Gillyweed potion. So far, all their experiments had resulted in failure, but they were determined. Piles of books on Potions, Herbology, Astronomy and Arithmancy were littered around the room.

"Hey" said Daphne, noticing that Harry was out of his meditative trance. "Learn anything new today?" she asked.

"Yes" said Harry slowly. "I learnt that there is a big difference in the duelling styles of Tom Riddle and Voldemort."

"What do you mean?" asked Daphne curiously.

"Well" said Harry, dragging the word. "The younger Tom Riddle didn't only favour dark curses like how he did in later years. He actually tried to learn as many of the different branches of magic as possible. As you know, I favour Transfiguration, so I was able to learn quite a lot of it, along with battle charms, jinxes and a variety of curses. I thought this would probably be a waste of time, as Voldemort was known for using only dark magic, and I don't particularly care for those which require me to power them with negative emotions, but I have learnt a lot over the past month. I have been practicing them, along with studying more spells from the Potter library. Whatever happens, it will probably culminate on the day of the third task, and I want to be ready" he said, his eyes flashing bright green.

Daphne nodded, and Harry went over to her and they spent several hours on the potion. It was nearly midnight when Harry added another component to a caldron, and the potion turned pale green. Daphne removed it off the heat. Once it cooled down completely, they analysed it.

"Well" said Daphne. "It certainly matches the formula we arrived at" she said, looking at her Arithmancy notes. "The question is if it would work. I don't want to test it if it turns out to be harmful."

Harry rubbed his face. "Well, we won't know if we sit here. Have a bezoar ready, and in case of an emergency, call an elf and take me to the Hospital wing. Hopefully, it won't be anything bad."

Daphne looked like she was about to object so Harry asked, "We have come this far, haven't we?"

Without waiting for her to answer, he asked the room to provide a large and deep bathtub. Once done, Daphne nervously gave him a glass of the gillyweed potion, which according to their calculations would last for an hour.

"I'll be right here in case something goes wrong" she said nervously, as she watched Harry strip naked. He nodded and took the potion from her. He got into the tub, and once he was waist deep in water, he swallowed the potion. It didn't taste too bad, and he gave the glass back to Daphne once he finished it. They waited with bated breath as nothing happened for several seconds. Suddenly, Harry felt pain below his ears. He didn't panic as this was similar to how it was in case of gillyweed. He immediately flung himself forward in the water.

He opened his eyes and saw that he could breathe easily. His fingers were only slightly webbed; he flexed his fingers, and to his delight, he would be able to grip his wand without a problem. His feet too were webbed, but they were more than his hands, but less than the effects with the gillyweed. He would be able to move more like a human and less like a fish now, but at the same time, it would be a lot easier than swimming without them. He flicked his wand to his hand and asked the room for objects which would help him practice his accuracy in casting spells in water. Just as the various discs appeared, he heard a splash being him. He turned and smiled when he saw Daphne; she too was naked but had used a bubblehead charm. She probably was too worried and couldn't handle having to wait outside for an hour.

Harry and Daphne practiced casting spells underwater for nearly an hour. They had cast a magical timer, which showed them how long the effects of the potion would last. Finally, when it was just a minute to an hour, Harry felt the webs beginning to disappear. The pain in his neck reappeared, so he resurfaced, just as the gills disappeared. He coughed, just as Daphne surfaced as well.

"Are you alright?" she asked in concern.

Harry grinned. "I'm absolutely fine. Daphne we did it! We created the gillyweed potion! I could fire spells without any problems and I could move around well as well! You're a genius!" he exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

Daphne blushed brightly when she heard his praise. Suddenly, she felt something poking her. She looked down and saw what it was.

"Well, it looks like someone is excited" she said coyly, bending down to her knees in front of him, her face just inches from his erection. "Why don't I take care of that? We deserve a break from all this anyway."

"Oh, fuck yes" moaned Harry as Daphne began pleasuring him.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was the evening of the 23rd of February; the day before the second task. Harry and Daphne had been prepared for it, and just as they had suspected, Professor Slughorn took Daphne to Dumbledore's office. Inside, she found her father, Amelia Black, the heads of the three schools, Fleur's sister and her father, Hermione Granger and a sixth year Hufflepuff boy.

"Ah, Miss Greengrass" said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "You're finally here. Let's begin, shall we? As I said, we need hostages for the second task. I would like to tell everyone present that this isn't my idea. I only received instructions from the Triwizard Committee, and I'm informing you about it. The four hostages will be what our champions miss the most; not exactly true, but we'll have to make do. In case of Mr Krum, Miss Granger has agreed to be his hostage; Mr Hopkins, Cedric's best friend has agreed to be his; Miss Dealcour, Fleur's younger sister is the third; and Miss Greengrass for Mr Potter. Agreed?"

"You're asking me to agree to put my daughter in such danger?" snapped Cyrus. "I'm already pissed off that my son-in-law has to participate in this rubbish, but I will not let my daughter be put in the middle of the Black Lake in February."

"Father, could I please talk to you in private for a minute?" asked Daphne softly. She took her father away and placed a privacy ward around them.

"Look Daddy" she said softly. "I know that you're worried about me, but I've got it covered. Harry and I have been preparing for this for the past two months. Don't get so worked up about it. It will be fine. There will be people who will take care of us in case the situation goes awry. I don't want anyone else being down there for Harry to save; there are already so many girls waiting in line just to get their hands on him. I have to do this. Please Daddy?" she asked.

Cyrus Greengrass looked conflicted, but finally, he sighed and nodded. "Alright. But I'll be there tomorrow close to the water just to ensure you and Harry come out of there without injuries. And I'll agree to this only if you promise to be careful, understood?" he said sternly.

"Understood" said Daphne, giving her father a hug. "Thanks Daddy"

Dumbledore then handed out four parchments, which were basically documents which said that the guardians of the hostages didn't have a problem with it. Cyrus read it over carefully, and once done, he signed it and so did Mr Hopkins. Dumbledore signed in loco parentis as Hermione Granger was a muggleborn. Monsieur Delacour very reluctantly signed it after much convincing by Madam Maxime, though he didn't look very happy about it.

Once done, Dumbledore placed the four of them in stasis. He placed several warming charms and other protective charms on them under the eyes of Director Amelia Black and he placed them in beds in a protected room for the night. He didn't dare try anything underhanded, as he knew that it would be his death sentence if he did. There was a place and time for everything and this wasn't it. They would be placed in the lake early next morning.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The next morning, Harry got up and meditated for a few hours to reinforce his Occlumency shields. Once done, he carefully packed the gillyweed potion in a secure glass bottle, took a bath and came out of the bathroom. He had stayed in the Room of Requirement again, as he and Daphne tended to sleep there together many nights now instead of returning to their dorms. Once done, he looked at the blue swimming trunks he had bought for the task. It was a snug fit, and he wouldn't be wearing anything else, but he didn't care. Clothes would hinder his mobility underwater and if the first task was anything to go by, he could use all the advantage he could get.

Harry put on the trunks and wore a cloak to cover his body. He asked a house elf to give him some light breakfast and once done, he checked to ensure everything he wanted was with him, took the case of the gillyweed potion and left the room. When he reached the entrance hall, Neville was waiting for him.

"Harry" he said nervously. "Are you sure this would work? I've brought gillyweed in case you change your mind"

"It's fine, Neville" said Harry calmly. "I've checked repeatedly if the potion indeed works. Do you have the parchment I gave you?" he asked.

"Yes" said Neville, patting his pocket. "I'll give it to Mr Bagman when he starts to wonder what exactly you used to breathe underwater. If the potion indeed works, you should receive more than just points for the task."

Harry chuckled as they made their way to the middle of the black lake. There were enormous stands constructed around the lake for the thousands of people who had come to watch. Miller's oversized mirrors were placed at every corner so that people could monitor the champions' progress. Harry and Neville went to the stand in the middle of the lake that was meant for the champions and judges. Sirius Black and Cyrus Greengrass were already waiting for them there.

"Ready?" asked Sirius, his usual joyful demeanour gone.

"As ready as I ever will be" said Harry. He conjured a chair and sat down to meditate. Half an hour later, he opened his eyes to see that Cedric, Fleur and Victor had all arrived. It was nearly 11 AM, and it was time to start the task. He calmly went over to stand next to them, with Neville standing behind him, holding the flask containing the gillyweed potion.

"Ladies and Gentlemen" said Bagman, his voice booming over the cheering crowd. "Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. All of our champions seem to have solved the puzzle that was given in the golden egg which they won at the end of the first task. Something precious to them has been taken and kept at the bottom of the Black Lake. We have hostages that are in the lake, which the champions have to rescue. They are as follows – Victor Krum is to rescue his date for the Yule Ball, Miss Hermione Granger; Fleur Delacour is to rescue her sister Miss Gabrielle Delacour; Cedric Diggory is to rescue his best friend Mr John Hopkins, and Hadrian Potter is to rescue his fiancée Miss Daphne Greengrass. They have one hour to find their hostage and return to the surface. As of now, Hadrian Potter leads with full 50 points; Victor Krum of Durmstrang has 41 points; Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons has 38 points and Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts has 37 points. Champions, get ready!"

Harry immediately put his stony and expressionless mask on his face. The large mirrors all focussed on the champions. Harry calmly removed his robe and stood there only in his swim trunks. Many girls swooned when they looked at his body, which they had to admit was quite impressive. His muscles were developed after rigorous exercise over many years and his six pack abs were achieved through hard work. Neville handed the potion to him. Harry looked at the clock. Just when there were ten seconds left, he drank the potion.

"Okay champions, get ready!" said Bagman, his voice enhanced. "Three . . . two . . . one . . . NOW!"

Harry felt the pain in his neck start, so he dived immediately. Once done, he could feel the gills forming, and his fingers and toes became slightly webbed. Once done, he concentrated on the tracking charm he had placed on Daphne the night before. He flicked his wand to his hand, and swam ahead, using the light from his wand and the tracking charm to lead the way.

Above the water, people were watching the champions swimming to their targets. "And they're off!" said Bagman. "Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour both used bubblehead charms; Victor Krum seems to have used an incomplete form of transfiguration, as he's now half shark. Very impressive isn't it, Professor Dumbledore? You're our resident expert on Transfiguration, so I'll get back to you on that. As for Hadrian Potter, he seems to have taken some potion. Professor Slughorn, can you identify it?" he asked.

Slughorn came forward and watched Harry on the large mirror in front of him. " _Sonorous_. I must say I have no idea what potion he has used, but if I have to guess, I would say that he used a gillyweed. But he didn't eat gillyweed, did he?" he asked confused.

Neville came forward and gave a piece of parchment to both Slughorn and Bagman. They both read it and they were slack jawed. "Sweet Merlin!" exclaimed Slughorn. "It seems that Miss Greengrass and Mr Potter together developed a new potion that simulated the effects of gillyweed! No wonder he is able to hold his wand so easily! I knew those two were potions protégées!"

Down in the lake, Harry swam towards Daphne when he was intercepted by a horde of grindylows. There were too many of them. Harry calmly pointed his wand at them and mentally said " _Immobulous"_ The grindylows immediately froze, as he had cast wide area charm, and then he spun his wand over his head and released a continuous jet of boiling hot water, similar to a fire whip. Once his path was clear of the large group of grindylows, he proceeded.

After a few minutes, he stopped dead in his tracks, his heart beating quickly. In front of him was a snake; it was probably more than fifty feet long. It was a sea serpent! Harry calmed down. This creature was here only to scare the champions, nothing more. Sea serpents, while very large and scary to look at, were quite docile. They were no instances of them ever harming humans, so Harry calmly proceeded to the other side without disturbing the giant snake.

Once he was halfway through, he sensed a presence being him. He immediately turned back and saw a scaly monkey with webbed hands, several feet away from him. Harry recognised it immediately; it was a Kappa, a Japanese water demon. If he had not been careful, the Kappa could have attacked him from behind and strangled him to death. Harry calmly conjured a cucumber, or at least what looked like a cucumber and inscribed his name on it. He then threw it at the Kappa, while at the same time bowing to the creature. The Kappa swam forward to take the cucumber, but was confused when Harry bowed at the same time, so it took the cucumber and also bowed. But that's when the water in its head spilled out, forming bubbles on the sides, weakening it. The Kappa was also not used to being so deep in the water, which further weakened it. Harry used this as an opportunity and banished it with a jet of boiling hot water.

Once done, he proceeded to the hostages again. In a few minutes, he found the colony of the merpeople. What was strange was the way the merpeople bowed to him when he arrived, so to show respect, Harry bowed back. He could see the hostages now, and he swam to Daphne and used a cutting curse to remove the ropes. Once Daphne was free, she slowly started ascending to the surface. Now was the plan they had hatched. Harry pointed his wand at Daphne's head and cast a bubblehead charm. Slowly, the water around her started to move away, creating bubbles around her and a magical bubble formed around her face. In a second, Daphne's eyes opened and she gasped, breathing in air in the bubble. She flicked her wand to her hand and pointed it at Harry's face. Once she knew that it was him, she lowered it and nodded to him.

They were ascending to the surface when Daphne gasped and pointed her hand to the other side. Harry looked and his eyes went wide as well. Cedric seemed to be riding some kind of horse. But it wasn't a horse. It was a kelpie. It looked like a horse, but it would lure travellers onto their backs and eat them once they reached the bottom, while parts of the victim's mangled body slowly ascended to the surface. Cedric was in grave danger.

Without waiting for a second, Harry swam over to them. He pointed his wand at the kelpie's head and conjured a bridle and used a placement charm to put it over its head, making the creature harmless. Suddenly, Cedric yelped and pulled away from the kelpie's back. He shook his head and panicked when he saw the kelpie. Harry calmly showed the boy a thumbs up and proceeded with Daphne to the surface. After several seconds, they resurfaced.

Back on the surface, nearly all the girls were watching Harry as they couldn't take their eyes off his body, while the boys were all watching Fleur. Twenty minutes into the task, Fleur resurfaced, after suffering various injuries due to the grindylows. Being a Veela, she couldn't handle the water for such a long time, and that proved to be her weakness. She cried and tried to go back in to save her sister, but she couldn't as she was too tired and exhausted.

Meanwhile, the other three champions had defeated the grindylows. Many people screamed when they saw the giant sea serpent in front of Harry, but calmed down when it didn't attack him as he calmly went forward without engaging it.

"Aha!" said Bagman. "It looks like Hadrian Potter has found the sea serpent. To those who don't know, the sea serpent grows to enormous sizes but is very docile. That was provided to scare the champions, but it seems Mr Potter knew about its nature."

They watched as Harry overpowered the Kappa. Cedric didn't meet any resistance while Victor was just swimming around at a fast rate, clearly lost. All of them clapped and cheered when Harry rescued Daphne, while many girls wished that they could be the one he got to rescue. But that's when Bagman shouted out.

"Oh my, it seems Cedric Diggory is in trouble. He seems to have been tricked by the Kelpie! Please deploy the Triwizard emergency squad immediately! If we don't hurry, Mr Diggory could be fatally injured. Wait, what is that? That's Hadrian Potter and Daphne Greengrass. She seems to be using a bubblehead charm. Mr Potter just conjured a bridle, is he, yes, he placed it over the kelpie! Outstanding! Hadrian Potter just rendered the kelpie harmless, saving Diggory's life in the process. Diggory is moving towards the hostages, and here comes Potter and Greengrass. They resurfaced! Brilliant work! Hadrian Potter is the first to finish the task with fifteen minutes to spare!"

Harry was still under the effects of the potion, so he stayed in the water as Daphne was helped to get out of the water by her father and Sirius. Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief and immediately fired warming and drying charms. He covered his oldest with a large towel. "I'm so glad you made it back safe" he said.

"Of course I would have, Daddy" said Daphne smiling. She looked at the water. "How can I not be safe when I have Harry with me?"

Cyrus smiled slightly. "I guess so" he said softly.

Daphne looked at Fleur who was shivering and crying. "Fleur?" she asked in concern. "What happened?"

"I couldn't complete the task" she cried. "My sister is still down there!"

"Don't worry" said Daphne, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'll tell Harry. He's still in the water, so he would be able to help."

Without realising that the one crystal was focussed on her as well, she raised her wand, concentrated on the message she wanted to send and said " _Expecto Patronum"_

The enormous nundu Patronus burst from the tip of her wand. Even after seeing it before, Cyrus couldn't help but swell with pride every time he saw his eldest daughter cast her Patronus. He and Elizabeth had been shocked and awed when they had first seen the nundu.

The nundu, much to everyone's awe and disbelief went into the water where Harry was still swimming. The message was transmitted into his mind, telling him about Gabrielle Delacour. Immediately, he went in the direction of the village.

Just when he entered, Krum appeared and grabbed Hermione away. The merpeople bowed to him again, and Harry confused, bowed back. He waited for the hour to get over as the merpeople were firm that he couldn't take the girl until the hour was up. Once the hour was up, he nodded to the merpeope and grabbed the young girl. Just when he started ascending to the surface with the girl, several vicious grindylows attacked.

These grindylows were brought to the Black Lake specifically for the second task, and hence weren't domesticated by the merpeople. The entire horde of them started attacking Harry and the merpeople nearby. Harry was finding it difficult to fight them, as his potion was suddenly wearing off – it was past one hour. He let go of Gabrielle, who didn't seem to be under attack and she started to ascend on her own.

"What is going on over there?" shouted Bagman as many others screamed. "Emergency squad, go there and help them both" he shouted, just as half a dozen witches and wizards dived into the water.

"Harry!" shouted Daphne, trying to jump into the lake but Cyrus held her back. "Daphne, don't" he said.

"If you go there you could be in danger as well" said Sirius, but he seemed to be preparing to jump to help his godson as well.

Just then, Neville pointed to the mirror and shouted, "Look!"

They all saw Harry snarl and place a bubblehead charm over himself. He returned his wand into his holster and extended his right hand. There was a flash, and the sword of Godric Gryffindor appeared in his hand. With swift strokes, he cut off the hands of the horde of grindylows surrounding him. The creatures, now injured realised that their prey was more powerful and so returned to the lake bed. But Harry was badly injured, and was bleeding in several places. He resurfaced, with the sword of Gryffindor still in his hand. He held it up, and the crowd roared. He willed it to disappear, and just as it arrived, it disappeared in a flash of golden light. The emergency squad helped him and Gabrielle to the stand. There were several cuts on his hands, legs and chest.

"Was that the legendary Sword of Godric Gryffindor?" exclaimed Bagman in fascination. "I knew that Hadrian Potter was the heir to one of the founders of Hogwarts, but I had never seen that sword before. Well done to all the champions! The judges will take a few minutes to decide the score."

Harry was shivering as Madam Pomfrey came over, healing the several cuts on his body. After about two minutes, all his injured were healed and he was immediately grabbed in a tight hug by Daphne, much to the disappointment of all the girls watching.

"I'm sorry" she wailed. "I never meant to put you in danger"

Harry grabbed her and kissed her passionately; they didn't care that millions of people were watching them. "You were only trying to help" he said softly. "I'm not mad at you."

"Daphne! Harry!" said a voice. They turned to find Fleur smiling brightly at them. She hugged them both at the same time and kept thanking them. Once done, Sirius covered Harry in his cloak so that he could be covered. A loud groan could be heard from the stands when Harry put his cloak on.

"Huh?" asked Harry confused. "What happened?"

Sirius and Cyrus snorted. "As I said before, I sure am glad he wasn't in school with me" said Cyrus.

"Here here" muttered Sirius. "None of us would have found girls with him around. That marriage contract turned out to be a blessing for both of them."

"The judges have reached their decision. Fleur Delacour used an excellent bubblehead charm, but was attacked by grindylows. We award her twenty-five points" said Bagman, as people applauded.

"Cedric Diggory also used a Bubblehead charm, but he was tricked by the kelpie, but still managed to save his hostage and return a minute after the time limit of an hour. Therefore, we award him with forty-five points"

The cheers grew louder.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective and was the last to return with his hostage. He seemed to have been lost in the lake and encountered only one of the obstacles and came five minutes after the time limit. We award him with forty points" said Bagman.

"And finally Hadrian Potter, who used a gillyweed potion that seems to have been invented by him and Daphne Greengrass, who beat all the obstacles for the second task, rescued his hostage and finished the task with fifteen minutes to spare, and also helped others in need, we award him fifty points!" he shouted, as the shouting and cheering increased to a level that was deafening.

"The third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament will take place on the 24th of June!" said Bagman. "Congratulations to all the champions! The second task of the Triwizard Tournament officially comes to a close."

The cheers and applause continued, and finally, Harry smiled. He had a perfect score again and was in the lead. He had completed the second task of the tournament without any problem. But now, it was time for the real training to begin.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 44**

 **"** **Dolores Umbridge" said a voice. "How nice of you to grace us with your presence; welcome to our ancestral home."**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Now, the gillyweed potion; I didn't want Harry to use gillyweed as it has been overused as well. So instead, I had them create a new potion. It certainly was a difficult process, but they managed. It is a simple potion, as a first or second year could prepare it if they had the instructions.

Many of you thought Dumbledore would get fired for kidnapping the hostages. As I mentioned in the last chapter, he isn't that stupid. He is more cunning than that.

I'm sorry for the late update as there is a problem with my server. I apologise for not being able to reply to your reviews. Thank you for the reviews everyone!


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Dolores Umbridge came back from the Ministry with high spirits. She had finally figured out a way to stop that Potter brat. Oh, how she hated that little liar! She would get him if it was the last thing she did! She had bribed a reporter into writing a horrible article about that blasted boy and soon, everything would be perfect.

That Potter boy had been the bane of her existence. Ever since that trial of Sirius Black, the Ministry had taken a beating, but pretty soon, it became worse. At that Lockhart trial, she had wanted to watch the memory as she couldn't let the chance of seeing two handsome boys naked slip between her fingers. But then that criminal Black had threatened her with a Blood feud. Those things weren't seen for centuries and would definitely wipe her out, so she had chosen to remain quiet. She had been ecstatic when all those negative news came out about Potter. She had asked Cornelius to arrest the half-blood brat, but he had refused. But pretty soon, he had killed that basilisk (she was sure that he lied about it; as if he could kill a basilisk) and was a hero again. Cornelius and Lucius had both taken a huge beating from that; Lucius had lost nearly all his influence in the Ministry because of that blasted Magical Daily paper. All attempts to find out the new owner proved to be useless; it was like he didn't even exist whoever that Frank Olive guy was. She was sure he was a mudblood. Oh, how she wished she could strangle him.

She had helped Lucius organise the Death Eater attacks at the World Cup, but that blasted paper had discovered her involvement. It was only due to a lot of bribery and blackmail had she evaded an investigation (Amelia Black had been furious about that), and she was completely broke now. But of course, Potter had become a hero again. She thought that Goblet of Fire incident would cause chaos, but nooo, it didn't. He was a hero again!

But she wouldn't stand for it. Tomorrow's paper would bring the Potter family down once and for all, just as she had always dreamed of. She walked into the small living room, but slipped on something. She screamed, but instead of falling, she felt something impact her. She the familiar pull of a portkey and she painfully landed on a cold stone floor. She groaned and got up to find that her wand was missing! She was in a dungeon of some kind, behind metal bars. She got up and tried to get out, but they wouldn't budge! They were magically fused with the stone.

"Dolores Umbridge" said a voice. "How nice of you to grace us with your presence; welcome to our ancestral home"

She couldn't see anyone as it was quite dark. "Who are you?" she asked fearfully. "Do you know who I am? I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic!" she screeched. "You better release me this instant!"

"Oh, why would I do that, my dear?" said the voice, sounding amused. "I have plenty of things to ask you. You have been a thorn in my side Dolores. And now, you try to bribe one of my reporters?"

"You!" shouted Umbridge. "You're that Frank Olive guy we have been searching for! You just wait, mudblood, Cornelius would have your head for this! I'll ensure that you receive the dementor's kiss. Soon, your paper will be in the hands of the Ministry as it should always have been!"

"Tut tut, Dolores" said the voice. "If you want to even accuse me of anything much less try to sentence me to be killed, you would be killed far before that, my dear. I wouldn't even have to raise a finger, as the public would do it themselves."

"Why don't you show your face, you filthy liar!" she shouted, rattling the bars of her cell, but she couldn't move them.

"If you insist, my dear" said the voice. The lighting charms activated, providing a dim glow. She saw who was standing in front of her. "No" she said, shaking her head. "This is impossible!"

Harry smirked. "What's impossible? That a mere fourteen-year-old boy has kidnapped you? I must say I'm disappointed in you. The wards around your house were pathetic."

"You control that stupid paper?" shouted Umbridge, anger coursing through her veins. "I'll have you killed Potter, mark my words. The Ministry will find me, and when they do, you'll be in big trouble."

Harry simply yawned. "No one would ever find you here Dolores. You're in the dungeons of one of the most heavily warded and fortified castles in the world. It has withstood sieges for more than a thousand years and I'm not about to let it fall anytime soon. As for getting me killed, who's going to believe you? I'm the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. I'm the public's golden boy and every girl's lover boy" he smirked. "When compared to me, just who the hell are you?"

"But enough chit chat" said Harry. "I'm here to find out your secrets, so let's begin. Are you going to talk or should I make you?" he asked smirking.

"Go to hell, brat!" shouted Umbridge. "I'll never tell you anything! You're nothing but an uppity half-blood bastard born to a mudblood whore!"

Suddenly, Umbridge screamed as several painful cuts erupted all over her body. She was tossed around the walls of the dungeon and came to rest at Harry's feet whimpering. " _Never_ insult my mother in front of me" said Harry in a low, dangerous voice. "And never use that disgusting word either. I will never tolerate the insult of four women I greatly admire and look up to – my mother, Lily Potter; my honorary aunt, Amelia Black; my mother-in-law, Elizabeth Greengrass; and of course, my fiancée, Daphne. Insult any one of them again, and you'll feel my wrath."

Harry then chuckled darkly. He pointed his thunderbird feather wand at her and petrified her. With a wave of his wand, the metal doors of the cell opened. "I knew you would never answer my questions, so I'll have to do this the underhanded way" he purred, looking into her terrified eyes. "I'll make this as painless as possible. After all, we want you to suffer later, don't we? _Legilimens!"_

Fifteen minutes later, Harry removed himself from her mind. The smile was gone from his face, but now, only hate and anger remained. "You bitch" he snarled. His hair turned white and lightning bolts appeared all over his body. "How many lives have you ruined because of your quest for power?" he asked, kicking her face.

"So, you're the one who escaped the clutches of William Potter" he said quietly, enjoying the terrified expression on her face. "Your ancestor was the one who tried to seize Potter Castle and murdered various members of the Potter family in the process. Every one of the attackers was killed, but one woman had escaped the wrath of my great-great-grandfather, and you are her descendant. Your family was responsible for the Potter massacre. And now, you're trying your best to end the line with me" he said dangerously. "You should know that I'm very protective of my family. You messed with the wrong wizard, Dolores."

"Not only that" he said, moving around her, circling like a tiger would its prey "you also kidnapped several boys and girls, children, and started a prostitution ring to serve your sick desires and that of your clients. That was the reason you wanted to watch that memory so badly at my trial; you wanted to use me for your underhanded business. That's how you made money and rose through the ranks at the Ministry; bribery and blackmail. I can't believe that there are such witches and wizards who would do something like that. It is a violation against Old Magic, and they will be punished. Lockhart might have been put in Azkaban, but had he actually gone through with the act, nothing could have prevented him from certain death."

Umbridge was shivering from head to toe. How had he found out so quickly? She had to do something, but she was bound.

"You know, I promised myself that I would never use the Cruciatus curse after what happened to my godmother and her husband" whispered Harry, his face inches from hers. "But lucky for me, I have a better method I could use."

With that, Harry let out several bolts of non-lethal lightning from the fingertips of his right hand, his left still gripping his wand. He could use the lightning to kill as well, but he didn't want her to die this soon. He _hated_ child abuse and thought it was non-existent in the magical world; looks like he was wrong. He would make them all _pay_! He was not surprised to note that all her clients were former Death Eaters.

After several bursts of lightning over the interval of several minutes, he stopped. Umbridge was twitching on the ground, very weak. The lightning was more painful that she had ever experienced, and she had even experienced the Cruciatus curse once! Just how powerful was he? Fear gripped her, as she remembered the Hogwarts motto 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon'

"Very good dear" said Harry, reading her mind. "But your realization comes a little late. It is never a good idea to mess with me, or the Potter family in general. Now, we have dessert. We need to make you pay for all that you have done to those poor children, don't we? Dobby!" he called.

"It is ready, Master Hadrian" said Dobby.

"Do you remember this elf, Dolores?" said Harry, sneering darkly at the twitching woman. "The elf you loved to torture so frequently when you visited Malfoy Manor? Well, dear Dobby has a surprise for you. Show her Dobby."

Dobby snapped his fingers and a snake and horse appeared. Umbridge shrieked when she saw the animals.

"It's time for you to be the victim Dolores. You hate children and magical creatures, don't you? You've done your best to make their existence as miserable as possible" said Harry, hate dripping in his words. "Let's see how you like being repeatedly fucked by a horse and a snake."

Harry watched with an evil smirk on his face as the animals began its torture of Umbridge as she screamed in fear. Too bad the woman wouldn't be sent to Azkaban. Those dementors would sure help her remember this incident very well.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The morning three days later, Harry smirked when he saw Hedwig deliver the paper as usual. He gave the bird some bacon and opened it.

 _SENIOR UNDERSECRETARY DOLORES UMBRIDGE ARRESTED FOR MULTIPLE COUNTS OF BRIBERY AND BLACKMAIL_

 _UMBRIDGE KIDNAPPED MAGICAL CHILDREN TO USE THEM FOR HER PROSTITUTION RING_

 _WIZENGAMOT CALLS FOR EMERGENCY SESSION_

Harry immediately sent a message to Sirius on his mirror.

"Not going to miss this session, huh?" asked Daphne, reading the article.

"Of course not" said Harry, with dark humour in his voice. "As you said before, Umbridge is _personal._ "

Daphne smirked.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The Wizengamot members shuffled into the room at ten thirty that morning. Cornelius Fudge looked ashen-faced as he took his seat, trying to remain as unnoticed as possible. His term as Minister had been horrible; nothing like he had foreseen. How was he going to survive this?

Harry calmly entered the chamber with Sirius by his side and went to the chairs reserved for guests. He saw reporters from the Magical Daily, as well as a crystal suspend in the air. He smirked. He had made a huge killing from the sales of Miller's Magical Mirrors as he owned forty-nine percent of the business. Serena had taken Harry's advice and had adopted two children who were magical who were in muggle orphanages. He had checked up on them, and they were awed by magic and were clearly very happy in their new home.

Chief Witch Lady Acton finally sat down. "This is the emergency session of the Wizengamot held on the 28th of February, 1995, for the trial of one Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."

"Ahm" said Fudge nervously.

"Yes Minister?" asked Lady Acton coldly.

"There are the papers for the revocation of Dolores Umbridge's job as my Senior Undersecretary" he said shakily.

"Very good" said Acton, looking at the papers. "It has been noted that Dolores Umbridge is the former Senior Undersecretary. Bring her in."

Two Aurors, with hate clearly on their faces, brought a much tussled and still twitching Umbridge into the room. They harshly threw her on the chair and stood on either side of her as the chains snapped into place, binding her.

"Gently, Aurors" said Lady Acton, with amusement in her voice. It was very well known how much the Auror office and DMLE hated Umbridge.

"Sorry, ma'am" said one of them.

"Oh, it's quite alright" said Acton. "Let's begin, shall we? Lady Black, are you ready?"

Amelia removed a file from the many that had mysteriously appeared on her desk a few days ago. She didn't know how they had appeared there, but she had checked them and the evidence given was unquestionable. In her attempt at trying to blackmail others, Umbridge had landed herself in trouble as well.

"Ready, ma'am."

"Dolores Jane Umbridge" boomed Lady Acton. "You are here today due to multiple counts of corruption, bribery, and blackmail. You have also been running a prostitution ring involving orphaned teenage children, who are witches and wizards and making them serve the fantasies of your sick clients. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty of all charges" screeched Umbridge. "I'm innocent, I tell you! It was all my fault!"

The Wizengamot was silent. "Can you repeat that Madam Umbridge?" asked Acton lightly.

"It was entirely my fault! I'm responsible for it all! You must punish me!" she shouted again. No one saw Harry smirking faintly. He had used Legilimency and subconscious compulsions to make her tell that it was her fault when she tried to implicate Harry in anything. Merlin, he loved mind magic. Slowly, but surely, he would weed out the corruption that was prevalent in the Ministry of Magic.

"Well, I can't believe that you would do this and confess, but then again, no one can understand what goes on in that twisted mind of yours either" said Lady Acton disgustedly. "Since the accused has already admitted to her being guilty, we can vote for her conviction, but I will let Lady Black read out what her crimes are so that we all know how far we have fallen."

What followed was a gruelling thirty minutes, as Amelia read out the evidence against Umbridge, and many of the so-called 'Imperiused Death Eaters'. Harry wished that he could have gotten them as well, but he couldn't. Many of them were prominent members, with either Wizengamot seats or Ministry jobs, so it was better if the Wizengamot handled it. But he knew that it would be very difficult to arrest them. Judging by few of the empty seats, those people knew what would happen and had not turned up. They were probably already on the run, even before the DMLE could acquire arrest warrants.

Once she was done, Lady Acton began. "Dolores Jane Umbridge, due to your own admission and all the evidence submitted to this august body, I hereby sentence you to the Dementor's kiss. All those in favour?" she asked.

Nearly all of them lit their wands, the ones not voting in favour being Dumbledore and his very few band of supporters.

"Dolores Jane Umbridge, you are hereby sentenced to the Dementor's kiss. Take her away!"

"No! I'm the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister; Cornelius help me!" she said, as the Aurors dragged her away.

"As my position as Chief Witch, I also issue arrest warrants against Lords Nott, Malfoy and Selwyn, along with Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Avery, Gibbon, Crabbe, Goyle, Jugson, Pyrites, Borgin, Burke, Parkinson, Walden Macnair and Yaxley" she declared, while many of the Wizengamot members applauded. "They have committed a violation against Old Magic and have broken National and International Magical Law, and thus are answerable to the Wizengamot. I also order Wizarding Children Services to investigate the teenage children and ensure that their names never come out in public. They will receive new names and Lords Potter and Black have generously agreed to take care of any financial support needed for their living and education, and Lady Longbottom, Lord Greengrass and others have agreed to foot the medical bill for their healing and later sessions with a mind healer. This session hereby comes to a close" she said and banged her gravel as many stood up and applauded for justice being served at last.

Cornelius Fudge shrunk in his seat as he looked at the heated glares sent his way. It was his Undersecretary and many of them accused in this were his personal friends, whom he had vouched for. A vote of no confidence could very well be imminent. He wanted to cry. His rosy career and life seemed to be in pieces.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office fuming. How in Merlin's name had such a complex network come down so rapidly? Dolores Umbridge, while a very weak and talentless witch, was quite cunning. How did she get caught? Not only that, she managed to bring down nearly the entire group of Voldemort's inner circle with her as well!

How was he supposed to redeem the Death Eaters if the DMLE arrested them and put them in Azkaban? This was not good at all! And there were signs that Tom was in the process of regaining his body. How would Tom take over the Ministry peacefully if all his minions are in prison? Then he would resort to violence, and he didn't want Tom to tread that path again. What to do? He would have to contact more of his sources to find more information.

His power block was near non-existent now. That blasted paper had seen to that. He was literally politically powerless! Dumbledore let out a primal scream of rage. More than fifty years of hard work destroyed because of one man – Frank Olive. Oh, how he hated that man. Oh well, he would need another bottle of firewhisky for tonight.

An hour later, Albus had passed out on his table, drunk; again.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Draco Malfoy couldn't believe what he was reading. His mother had sent him a letter saying that his father was on the run from the DMLE. What was going on? He thought that his father was all powerful, but if that were the case, couldn't he bribe his way out? He put the newspaper down. Why did life have to be so complicated over the last two years? He wished everything was like how it had been; his father ruled the Ministry with bribes and blackmail, and he was the prince. But now, he was a son of a criminal.

He knew who was responsible for this of course. It was Potter's fault. It was always Potter's fault. And he would make him pay for what he did to his family. It had all started because of him, and he would get his family honour back if it was the last thing he did!

Poor Draco; he didn't know who he was dealing with.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry spent increasing amount of time in the Room of Requirement, training heavily. He used the Diadem of Ravenclaw to learn from Tom Riddle's memories and studied from many books he got from the Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin libraries. Daphne and Aquila ensured that he didn't burn himself out, so he went frequently flying with the thunderbird and he had more intense make-out sessions with Daphne. They never took it to the point of no return, but they did enjoy what they were doing. They had also stopped sleeping in their dorms, choosing instead sleep in the Room every night, tangled in each other's arms.

"I think I want to do this" said Harry, pointing to the book he was reading. It was a book he had picked up from Salazar Slytherin's library and was pouring over many of the body enhancing rituals and others designed for speed and agility. From Riddle's memories, he knew that the older man had performed some horrific rituals, but he didn't want that. He wanted something effective, which didn't require him to make sacrifices on his body. He shuddered when he thought of what exactly Riddle had sacrificed to become the big, bad Dark Lord Voldemort. No man would want to do that.

"What is it?" asked Daphne, who was studying a book on Potions.

"It's a ritual in parseltongue, which Salazar found and used it on his body. Apparently, it would enhance my strength so that even if I am injured, I can continue fighting. Hmm, Re'em blood, I'll have to get it in the black market. I also need a drop of Vampire blood, which would greatly enhance my reflexes. Voldemort used something much, much worse, but this has no side effects. That will be difficult to procure. I'll first check if the ingredients I need are in Potter Castle. Hmm, quick healing is mentioned as well. I need phoenix tears, which I know I have at Potter Castle. What do you think?" he asked, not looking up from the book.

"I say go for it" said Daphne. "You'll need every advantage you can get, and if you are sure there are no side effects, use it. How long does it last?"

"Several years" said Harry, looking at the shocked face of Daphne. "I know. Riddle didn't know about this and used some horrible rituals to enhance his body. Parseltongue ensures that your biochemistry isn't altered, that it is long lasting, and that there are no side effects. That's why it is considered a sacred language; well, outside Europe anyway. I'm glad I was able to remove the stigma associated with the language."

"Will it affect our children?" asked Daphne, with narrowed eyes, thinking about it.

"No" said Harry after a minute, flipping through it. "I checked that as well, and I performed another parseltongue ritual on myself so that the basilisk venom doesn't get transferred to our children or to you during sex . . . wait . . . phoenix tears! I already have phoenix tears in my blood stream! I can perform that part of the ritual directly without procuring more."

"Good" said Daphne and breathed a sigh of relief. "Then do it well before the third task so that you can get accustomed to your body's new strength and agility. Speaking of which, what did Bagman want last night? I forgot to ask you about it."

"Oh, nothing much" said Harry idly. "We already knew the third task was going to be a maze, and he just confirmed it. That's all. There are going to be several creatures, wards, and spells to bypass; basically one hell of a challenge."

"I hope they don't overdo it" growled Daphne. "I'll snap their necks if they bring a Manticore or a Chimaera."

Harry chuckled and went over to give her a deep kiss. "Stay calm, tigress. Whatever it is, I'll handle it. Though I'm pretty sure there will be Class XXXX and Class XXXXX creatures, I doubt it would be anything that deadly and dangerous. The ICW wouldn't permit it, and neither would the public."

"You're right" said Daphne. She put her book down and moved to sit on his lap. "Enough studying for today" she growled and kissed him hard and passionately.

"Oh, you're in a feisty mood today" said Harry grinning. "I sure am going to enjoy myself."

Daphne only smirked as she pushed him down on the couch, pinning him with her hands. "You are" she said as she sat down on him, feeling his penis grow erect under her bum as she looking into his eyes. "You sure are"

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. As much as he would have liked to practice on his own, he needed a teacher for better results. After all, the Death Eaters or Voldemort wouldn't be easy to beat if he ever met them. Powerful he may be, but he was still human, not to mention inexperienced. That's why he needed help from the best, which was why he was currently standing in front of the door of the Defence office. The door opened, and Alastor Moody looked at Harry.

"Ah, Potter" said Moody gruffly. "Come in."

Harry smiled faintly as he saw the various instruments and dark detectors. "I wondered why you didn't question me or attack me when I came in" he said, looking at the newly installed Foe glass.

Moody smirked and sat down. "So, what can I do for you this time, Potter?" he asked.

Harry stared out of the window, looking at the grounds. This was not the first time he had come to Moody's office. He had come regularly throughout the year, asking the man various things relating to duelling tactics to curses, so they were quite familiar with each other. Besides, Moody was very impressed with Harry and was also thankful that Harry had saved him from being imprisoned by Crouch. Needless to say, Dumbledore was on very shaky ground with Alastor Moody right now.

"I'll come straight to the point" said Harry. "I was wondering if you could help me in my training."

Moody grinned wickedly. "I was wondering when you were going to come to me" he said gruffly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course you did" he muttered. It was to be expected. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had, and so was the best choice to be Harry's instructor.

"Be warned, Potter" said Moody. "I won't go easy on you. In fact, considering the danger you are in and the time constraint, it will be ten times worse than what I do at the Auror Academy. It will be insanely difficult. Are you up for the challenge?" he asked.

Harry nodded confidently. "I am" he answered quietly. "I need to be prepared for the worst. I don't want to use childish spells and land up dead. I want to be quick and efficient. I'm willing to train to the utmost level."

"Good boy" muttered Moody. "Thank Merlin you don't listen to Albus. Let's get started."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The third task was set to take place on the 24th of June. As a champion, Harry was exempt from writing the end of year exams, but to the shock of many, he wrote them just them just to ensure that he had a record of his marks; there was a reason Harry was a Ravenclaw. Harry, not wanting to take any chances, had asked Amelia to bring Aurors to Hogwarts for the task. She had agreed, as she too felt that since Harry's name had been placed in the Goblet of Fire for a reason, he would be in danger.

The training over the past three months with Alastor Moody had been gruelling. Harry wondered if the man was insane in training him as he did. Daphne certainly disapproved of the horrifying duels he and Moody had in the Room of Requirement, along with the sharp increase in Harry's physical training. The old Auror was extremely impressed (and highly suspicious) of Harry's spells. He had never met a fourteen year old boy who was so highly knowledgeable. But knowing spells and fighting were two different things, which was what Moody was teaching Harry. By the time the third task rolled in, Moody had declared that Harry could definitely hold his own against the worst of the Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange. That was definitely the highest compliment Harry could ever have hoped to get. He was also proud of himself for surviving the training, as he was sure than any other boy his age or adult for that matter, would have crumpled under the strain just a few days into Moody's program.

The third task was to take place in the evening, so as to make it more ominous for the champions. After lunch, Harry and Daphne went back to the Room of Requirement to mediate and work on their Occlumency; they didn't want their emotions to get in the way of what was going to happen. Once done, Harry looked at the outfit he would be wearing. He stripped down to his boxers and Daphne helped him wear the basilisk hide vest he had commissioned for himself. These vests were worn to help in case of cuts on his body or any other attacks. They were useless in case of very lethal curses like the Avada Kedavra, but it would protect him in case of cutting curses and such, which were crucial in case of a duel as one would not be firing only killing curses the whole time. It would also not work if someone fired a stunning spell on him, as the hide would repel it.

He also wore basilisk hide protective pads for his legs and arms, which were charmed using an array of runes to be feather light, along with his vest; otherwise it would be difficult for him to move wearing them. Charming dragon hide or basilisk hide was very difficult, as they repel any foreign magic, but he was able to find a person in Egypt who was competent in making it work. Needless to say, he had spent a small fortune on it. He then wore a leather suit over it. His thick long sleeved shirt was deep red in colour and made of leather; and so were his leather pants which were black, which were both charmed not to tear, along with cooling charms present in them. He then donned on his dragon hide boots as well. He looked at himself in the mirror. All in all, he looked like he was headed for war. He was right, as with all those former Death Eaters who were supposed to be arrested after Umbridge's trial weren't apprehended and were still out there.

His eyes flashed green. Today was the day his life would change forever.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 45**

 **He felt the familiar jerk of the portkey behind his navel as he touched the cup. He had won the Triwizard Tournament. But now was the real test.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

AN: I received a question if this story would end soon. The answer is no. This story will not end with Voldemort as I plan to take this much further. It will go to the seventh year and beyond. As for Harry's lightning, think of it as Sith lightning. You know, where lightning sprouts from the fingertips.

If any of you want to say something about Umbridge's victims, let me remind you that such things happen in real life. I am just incorporating what happens all over the world. Child abuse and rape are sad but true. I only hope such things raise awareness about it. Child abuse really rattles me, which is one of the reasons I hate Dumbledore as much as I do.

Thank you for your reviews!


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Harry dressed and turned to look at Daphne who seemed to be sitting on a couch, crying silently, rocking back and forth. Such behaviour was very unusual for the girl who always controlled her emotions. He could understand why, as he would be in terrible danger if Voldemort and the Death Eaters were truly involved. He only hoped that since he had destroyed all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, the man might have disappeared, but he held out little hope. He went to his fiancée and gave her a tight hug as he slowly rubbed her back.

"Don't worry, Daph" he said soothingly. "I'll be very careful. You've placed a tracking charm on me as well. In case I get lost, you can find me. I'll come back to you safe and sound, okay?"

Just then, they heard an eagle's shriek. They looked out of a window and saw that there was lightning and thunder in the sky, though thankfully no rain. Daphne started crying harder, as it was Aquila's warning about danger.

Harry sighed. This did not help matters. He knew that tonight, he had to face his destiny as Aquila had informed him of it.

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Harry was flying with Aquila in a storm and was quite enjoying himself. The third task was tomorrow and with all the training he had been doing, it was very tiring._

 _"_ _I sense danger, little one" said Aquila._

 _Harry soared above the clouds and maintained a steady altitude. "What do you mean?" he asked the thunderbird._

 _"_ _Your destiny will be marked by how you handle this test, Harry. Tomorrow will decide your fate. If you win, it will be a dawn of a new era; all creatures have sensed it. But if you lose, we'll lose everything, Harry. The future of the magical world depends on you. You are the epicenter of change. You are our saviour. You, little one, are the Lightning Lord, the one who is blessed my Magic herself" said Aquila._

 _"_ _Lightning Lord? Blessed by magic?" asked Harry bewildered. "What are you talking about buddy?"_

 _"_ _Listen to me Harry" said Aquila patiently. "You were born for much bigger things, not just to defeat that bad wizard who killed your parents. All magical creatures have sensed a change approaching, and we know that you will be the one to decide our fate. You are the Lord of Lightning, the saviour of magic. You must win tomorrow, Harry. Everything depends on it. You must win. Forget about everything else for now. Don't try to escape your destiny, as it would always come back with greater force than before if you try to avoid it. Accept it, and fulfill the wishes of Magic herself."_

 _Harry stayed silent, gliding over the clouds. He dived sharply and came back up. He needed to think._

 _After several minutes, Harry transformed back into himself landed on Aquila's back. Rain lashed harder than ever and lightning flashed brightly and thunder could be heard. Harry brought his arms sideways and let out powerful bolts of lightning from his fingertips and screamed as a lightning bolt impacted his body._

 _The Lightning Lord was about to take a step that would define his life and the lives around him forever._

 _END FLASHBACK_

"Look, you know I have to do this. I have to face him Daphne" he said softly.

Daphne looked at him with red eyes. "What if I don't want you to?" she whimpered. "What if I just want you to live a full life without any of this to deal with?"

Harry smiled and stroked her dark blonde hair with his fingers. "It can't be helped" he whispered, hugging her close. "I will come back to you. But if I don't, I want you to live a happy life. Don't worry about upsetting my memory; know that I would always love you even if you are with someone else. I've willed most of my fortune and properties to you. In case of the worst, please take care of Sirius and Amelia for me."

Daphne immediately pushed back grabbed his face. Her eyes glowed and she snarled. "You look here, Potter. I will not accept anyone else, ever. There is only one person for me, and that is you. No one else can come close to you and what we share. You better come back from this task triumphant, or else you'll have company in Death's realm. Promise me that you will come back to me safe and sound!"

"Daphne" began Harry in worry.

"PROMISE ME, DAMN IT!" screamed Daphne and a vase in the corner shattered.

Harry looked into her eyes and saw worry and sheer fright in them. He also saw the immense love she had for him. He let in envelop him as he grabbed her and kissed her passionately. They sat there for more than an hour, kissing each other as they felt their volatile emotions get back under control.

Harry placed his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. "I promise" he said softly but firmly. "I've trained for this moment since I was seven years old. I won't let anyone take you away from me, beat Voldemort or Dumbledore. I promise that I'll come back to you safe and sound."

Daphne had calmed down a lot too. She smirked and said "I know you will. I have the utmost confidence in you. Let's show the world who we really are. Let's show them that we are not to be trifled with."

Harry smirked too. He then looked at his watch. They still had more than two hours to go. "There is something I wanted to ask you to do if you're willing" he said seriously.

"What is it?" asked Daphne.

"I know that we're not married yet, but in my mind, there is no doubt about you being my future wife. Since that is the case, I was wondering if you would like to take your place as the Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin" said Harry.

"Now?" asked Daphne surprised. "But how can I be the Lady when we're not yet married?"

"It's complicated" said Harry. "Since there has never been such a case before when there has a Lord and not a Lady, it has never been attempted. You would have taken your oath once we were married, but if the family magic accepts you, I want you to take it now. I trust you, Daphne. And I truly, deeply love you. There is no doubt in my mind that you're my closest family. It doesn't matter if you're still my fiancée and not yet my wife. Even if there is a slight chance of it working, I want you to wear those family rings with pride. You're the most important person in the world to me, and I want our family to reflect that. What do you say?" he asked, with passion burning in his words.

Daphne looked into his emerald green eyes and nodded. "Alright" she said. "I'll do it."

Harry helped her up and the room changed. In front of them was a wall with three crests – Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Daphne stood inside a ritual circle, just as Harry muttered something and his Potter ring flashed.

Daphne found herself surrounded by a red and silver aura. She could feel the magic of the Potter family testing her, checking if she was worthy. For several minutes, they stood in silence as the aura swirled around her. After what seemed like an eternity, the red and silver aura surrounded her body and she smiled.

"I, Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass" she began, "wife-to-be of the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, eldest daughter of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, do solemnly swear by wearing this ring to uphold the values and traditions of the Potter family. As Lady Potter, I swear to do my utmost best to love and cherish my future husband and our family and bring glory to the House of Potter. This I swear, so mote it be!" she said.

The red and silver aura swirled around her at a fast rate and seeped into her skin. Daphne seemed to be glowing in a silver light until finally, a ring appeared on her right ring finger. She looked at it and saw it was the ring of the Lady of the House of Potter. It was a platinum band with a large feminine cut red diamond, with the crest clearly displayed on it. "Born to conquer" she whispered, which was the Potter family motto.

Daphne looked at Harry, who had tears in his eyes. She went over to him and wiped the tears away. "I really am family now" she whispered. "We may not be married yet, but according to the family and legally, I'm the Lady Potter. I will carry your name without any hesitation, Harry. I'm proud to do so."

She stepped back into the ritual circle and did the same for the Gryffindor and Slytherin families as well. They too accepted her and the family rings appeared. She closed her eyes as she felt the wards around Hogwarts.

"You really did it" whispered Harry. "You did it all for me". He was really touched that she had been willing to go through with it, as it had never been done before. She had been willing to try, just for him.

He immediately went over to her and kissed her. After a minute, they broke apart. "Welcome to the family, Lady Potter-Gryffindor-Slytherin" said Harry.

Harry had suddenly gained his confidence back. He had Daphne by his side. He could do it. He would be victorious. He was Hadrian Potter. He would win. He would always win.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry and Daphne sat quietly at the Ravenclaw table for the evening feast. After finishing a light meal, Harry closed his eyes. After several minutes, Dumbledore got up to speak. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has finally come. Tonight, you will witness the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Everyone please make your way to the stadium. Champions, please follow Mr Bagman."

Harry and Daphne got up and followed Mr Bagman. They were soon followed by Sirius and Amelia, both who had stony expressions on their faces. They left the castle and headed for the entrance of the maze, where the prime seats were located. The stadium was in a semi-circular shape, again with many enormous mirrors affixed every few feet so that people could monitor the champion's progress. It was turning dark now, so lightning charms were activated, bathing the stadium in bright light.

Cyrus and Elizabeth Greengrass came forward and hugged Harry and wished him luck. They went and sat back in their seats, but Sirius, Amelia and Daphne remained.

"Tracking charm?" whispered Harry.

"Check" said Daphne. "Wands?" she asked.

"Check" said Harry.

"Armour?" she asked.

"Check"

"Potions kit?" she asked.

"Check" he said patting the belt he had worn. He didn't want to go in there without a few important potions like pepper up. They had checked the rules and it was allowed. But by judging the other three champions, they hadn't thought of it.

"Pocket knife?" she asked.

"Check"

Harry then closed his eyes and started remembering all the spells he had leant and about magical creatures and how to defeat them. Fifteen minutes later, the stands were full, and the live broadcast began. The crystals were surrounding the champions now, though staying invisible. The four champions appeared on the large mirrors. Millions of witches and wizards around the world were watching the final task of the very popular Triwizard Tournament.

The Triwizard Emergency Squad came over to the champions and said "We'll be patrolling the perimeter of the maze and monitoring your progress. If you run into any trouble and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, understood? If you are in a life-threatening situation, we'll be there immediately to rescue you."

Mr Bagman pointed his wand to this throat and began. " _Sonorous._ Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament! This task is very straightforward – it's a maze, filled with different traps, wards, spells and magical creatures. The Triwizard Cup is at the center of the maze, and the champion who reaches for it first will win the Tournament, earning him or her eternal glory and 5000 galleons! The Cup is a portkey to the stage over there. So once any one of them touches the cup, they will be transported out of the maze and be declared the winner!" he said as the crowd cheered.

"Let me remind you how the points currently stand – in fourth place is Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy with 63 points! In third place is Mr Victor Krum of Durmstrang Institute with 81 points!" he said and the crowd roared in approval for their respective champions.

"In second place we have Mr Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts School with 82 points!" he shouted as the crowd screamed.

"And finally, in first place, we have Mr Hadrian Potter with a full 100 points!" he shouted, and the noise from the audience was deafening.

Harry turned and gave Daphne a hug and kiss. Sirius and Amelia hugged him as well as he went to the entrance to the maze.

"On my mark, Mr Potter" said Bagman. "Three . . . two . . . one . . ."

He let out a cannon blast from the tip of his wand and Harry calmly entered the maze. He turned to look at Daphne. She blew a kiss at him and he smiled back. He was prepared, and now, it was time to finish it.

" _Lumos"_ thought Harry and the tip of his wand illuminated. He walked down the path in front of him until he reached a fork. Harry stopped and closed his eyes. He extended his senses and also used the wards around Hogwarts to give him an accurate picture of which way he was supposed to go. He knew that picking the shortest way possible would involve meeting all the traps, but he didn't care. He had to reach the cup first.

He took a right there and moved about, occasionally turning directions. He heard another blast – Cedric was in the maze.

Just when he turned, he sensed another presence in front of him. A ten-foot long Blast-Ended Skrewt was edging closer to him, releasing flames from behind. Harry immediately used the same technique he had used in the first task. He levitated the Skrewt, blasted it with cold water, froze it, and dumped it in a hole in the ground. He then proceeded forward, without a care in the world, when he heard another blast – Victor was in the maze.

Harry walked forward, idly wondering why he didn't encounter anything else when suddenly, he felt that he had triggered a ward. Indeed, he could sense the ward and in front of him, a whole bunch of a hundred Cornish pixies were present, restrained behind a ward. If he had taken a step further, they would have been unleashed on him. He searched for the ward trigger and disabled it easily. He then stepped forward and passed the pixies without being attacked.

He heard another blast – Fleur had also entered the maze. The audience would now be focussing all their attention on them now. He took several turns, where there were wards preventing him access, but he disabled all of them without an issue; he had extensively studied about warding from the Potter library. The Potters considered themselves master warders, and he didn't want that talent to disappear from the family anytime soon.

Just as he took another bend, he felt oppressive coldness envelop him. Bad memories started to appear in his mind, as he saw two dementors in front of him, inching closer. Harry pointed his wand at the dementors, thought about Daphne and how much he loved her and mentally said " _Expecto Patronum"_

The enormous silver thunderbird shot out of his wand and attacked the dementors, driving them away. He proceeded further, but after disabling an illusionary ward, he suddenly found himself in front of a bridge, with a large water body below it. But what was below the bridge wasn't only water - there was a River Troll in it, guarding the bridge.

Harry smirked. He could only imagine how easy it was to trick the creature. He scanned the water, and to his delight, he found a large fish which he summoned. He took out his potions kit, and coated the fish with a Shrinking Solution and added a low powered Impediment jinx to ensure a time delayed reaction. Once done, he pointed his wand at the fish and mentally said " _Compulso"_

He then walked to the bridge and levitated the fish in front of the grunting twelve-foot long river Troll. The troll, being very stupid immediately felt compelled to eat the fish. Once it was done, a few seconds later, there was a pop, and the twelve-foot troll was only three feet in height. Harry smirked as he crossed the bridge.

He crossed another section and tuned to find, to his surprise, a thestral. Harry slowly approached it, and the thestral made a sound and bowed deeply to Harry. He too bowed back, went forward to pet it and moved on. That was an odd creature to have in a maze, he thought. But to those who could not see the creature . . .

He stopped for a second and closed his eyes to sense what was going on. He was very close to the cup; he could sense it. The other champions were still far away, dealing with the various wards and creatures. He couldn't blame them for struggling to break down the wards. Only due to his advanced knowledge and relentless studying in the subject had allowed him to break them that easily. Well, that and his ability to sense magic helped as well, which only trained wizards like Albus Dumbledore were proficient with, though the Headmaster was better at it than Harry currently was.

He turned and could see the dim blue light of the Triwizard Cup ahead. But this time, he was interrupted by a Sphinx.

It had a body of that of a lion, but the head was that of a woman. The sphinx bowed to Harry as he approached. "Greeting to the Lord of Lightning; it is an honour to finally meet you, oh great one" she said.

"Greetings to you as well, Milady" said Harry bowing to her. "And please don't use such words to describe me; I don't think I deserve them" he said, smiling softly.

"Oh, but you do" said the sphinx. "We have waited for the Lightning Lord for hundreds of years and you're finally here. You're very near to your goal, my Lord. The quickest way is past me" she said smiling.

"Then, by all means, please let me hear your riddle" he said smiling.

The sphinx's smile widened.

 _"_ _First think of the person who lives in disguise,_

 _Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies._

 _Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,_

 _The middle of middle and end of the end?_

 _And finally give me the sound often heard_

 _During the search for a hard-to-find word._

 _Now string them together, and answer me this,_

 _Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"_

Harry smiled slightly. "A spider" he said softly.

"Very good, my Lord" said the sphinx happily. "I didn't even have to repeat myself. Please go ahead. May you always succeed in your endeavours and have the blessings of Magic."

"Thank you, Milady" he said, bowing to her and walked to the cup which was at a distance.

When he was but a hundred yards from the cup, he sensed something to his left. He turned and saw an Acromantula rushing towards him. It was about to try to attack him so he pointed his wand at it and thought " _Reducto!"_

The Reductor curse cut off a few of the spider's legs, but it still came forward, along with five more of its companions, surrounding him. He had to think fast, or he would be spider food in a matter of seconds. Harry rotated his wand over his head and rotated it in a clockwise direction. A fire whip appeared, and Harry lashed it against the Acromantulas, cutting off all their legs in half.

"Bloody spiders" he muttered, idly wondering why he was feeling like he was going to fail at this task, as though it was futile. _Futile . . ._

Harry reinforced his Occlumency and sharply turned to face the opposite direction. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a small creature shriek softly. In front of him was a shiny, round rock. Harry rolled his eyes as a scarlet stunner left his wand and impacted the creature which was crouching, attempting to disguise itself as a rock. It was a Pogrebin, a small Russian demon. It would follow humans, hiding in their shadow, ensuring the victim would feel a great sense of futility. It was then that the creature would strike in an attempt to devour its prey. The demon wasn't a threat as a stunner would be effective, though some preferred kicking it, much to Harry's annoyance.

He stopped in front of the Triwizard cup and paused. He closed his eyes and sensed what was going around him using the wards. Cedric was nearby, but he couldn't get here soon. Harry calmed down and reinforced his Occlumancy shields and ensured that his magic was calm. He took out his potions kit and took a swing of the pepper up potion. He knew that if he had to fight for his life, he would need it; he wasn't really tired after navigating the maze, but it was better to be prepared. Once done, he checked to ensure everything was alright and picked up the handle of the cup with his right hand, his wand gripped in his left. He felt the familiar jerk of the portkey behind his navel as he touched the cup. He had won the Triwizard Tournament. But now was the real test.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Outside, the audience were watching the champions closely when they entered the maze. "Oh look, it looks like Hadrian Potter has encountered a Blast-Ended Skrewt. His method to defeat them was ingenious in the first task, so is he, yes, he's frozen them and placed them in a pit on the ground. Hadrian Potter has crossed the first obstacle!" he shouted as the crowd roared.

The crowd watched as Krum faced an illusionary ward. Just then, Bagman shouted out. "Oh ho. Look at that. It looks like Hadrian Potter has encountered the Cornish pixies, and it seems there are over a hundred of them. What is this? What is he doing? He's moved ahead! He disabled the ward that would make the pixies attack him and just walked ahead like a king! Sweet Merlin, that boy is something!"

He commentated about the other champions' progress when the audience spotted something again. "It looks like Mr Potter has encountered the dementors. I really doubt it would be a problem as, yes; he's conjured a Patronus again. Hadrian Potter's Patronus takes the form of a thunderbird."

"Good lord, that boy sure knows a thing or two about warding and curse breaking" exclaimed Bagman, after Harry disabled another set of complex wards. The crowd roared. "How is a boy barely fifteen years old so talented? He uses silent casting all the time too, very impressive!"

When Harry got past the river troll, the crowd roared louder than ever. "DID YOU SEE THAT? AMAZING! It seems Hadrian Potter really did read the Triwizard rulebook as it says that you can take a standard potions kit and a shrinking solution would fall under that category. Merlin, he has a keen mind. No wonder he is in Ravenclaw" he said, getting a much louder cheer from the Ravenclaws.

"Oh my, he can see a thestral?" asked Bagman in disbelief. "A thestral is only seen by someone who has seen death. The only death Potter probably has seen might have been . . ." he left the sentence hanging, and there weren't many cheers this time. Remembering a man murdering your mother in front of your infant eyes was not a happy memory indeed.

When the audience heard the sphinx talk to Harry, many of them were confused. "Anyone has any idea what that sphinx is talking about? Lightning Lord? Waited for hundreds of years? What is going on here?" asked Bagman confused. Daphne smirked while Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.

When Harry was attacked by six Acromantulas at once, many people screamed. "Oh dear, one curse didn't seem to help! Oh wait, what is he doing? A fire whip! He cut off all the legs of the Acromantulas in one stroke. Good Lord, a better move than just using useless stunners. He's the closest to the cup!" yelled Bagman, and people cheered.

When Harry went to the cup and didn't pick it up, people started whispering. "What is Hadrian Potter doing?" asked Bagman confused. "Why is he standing there and not picking up the cup? What is this? What's going on?"

Just then, they saw Harry grab the handle of the cup. But instead of reappearing on the stage in front of the audience as planned, he landed on both feet in what looked like a graveyard. Surprisingly, the crystal was still transmitting; apparently, the one following Harry was grabbed by the portkey as well.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Suddenly, Harry saw jets of scarlet light coming towards him. Thanks to the drop of Vampire blood in the ritual, his reflexes were even more pronounced than ever, so he dodged every single one of them. He looked at the people in front of him. There were five Death Eaters, wearing their regalia and mask. Harry immediately started firing lethal curses at them. The ground in front of them became hot, as jets of light flew from several wands at the same time. It really was an impressive sight as Harry single-handedly battled five adult Death Eaters at once.

The Death Eaters were good, but Harry was better. A blasting curse impacted one of them in the legs, tearing his body in two. Several seconds later, another Death Eater had a big hole in his chest and he fell down, dead. Harry conjured a fire whip again while dodging several curses, and cut off the necks of two Death Eaters at once. He was only battling one now. He sensed a snake coming close to him, and he turned to his right and fired a blasting curse. Unfortunately, that was a wrong move on his part. Ten Death Eaters materialised all around him, surrounding him in a tight circle, while the long snake was blasted to smithereens. Harry had partially turned to the right to kill the snake, and since Harry was duelling with his left hand, this gave a split second advantage to the Death Eaters, who were more than happy to use it.

" _STUPEFY!_ " shouted ten voices at once. No matter how much Harry was talented, being surrounded in a tight circle when he was alone and fighting more than ten to one was a massive disadvantage; it was a known tactic used by many to kill off their opponents. But this time, they wanted Harry alive, and not dead. The basilisk hide armour might be able to handle stunners individually, but eleven powerful stunners at the same time at close range were enough to kill most witches and wizards. But Harry wasn't weak and the armour certainly helped. He dropped to the ground unconscious.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Back at Hogwarts, there was utter chaos. When Harry was attacked by people in Death Eater robes, people screamed. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?" asked Bagman, his voice still enhanced. "Where is Mr Potter? He's under attack!"

Daphne and Amelia wasted no time. Amelia immediately took out a special piece of parchment and Daphne tapped her wand on it. Nothing!

"Damn it!" snarled Amelia. "They have put up wards around the place to ensure that all tracking charms are nullified! We need to find another way to track him"

Just then, they heard a bang, and so they looked at the large mirror. People all over were in awe as Harry battled five on one, throwing curses after curses at the Death Eaters. One by one, the attackers fell to the ground, dead, killed by Harry's wand. Just when there was only one Death Eater, ten of them Apparated around him and stunned him at the same time at close range. Harry fell to the ground unconscious.

Daphne's anger bubbled. Cyrus and Sirius were shouting at the Triwizard Committee while Amelia was mobilizing the Aurors hidden all over Hogwarts, much to Albus Dumbledore's anger and annoyance. No one noticed the small smile on Dumbledore's face. Cornelius Fudge was just bumbling about, not knowing what to do.

When she saw the Death Eaters pick up Harry, the tigress in Daphne couldn't handle it anymore. "RIDDLEEEEEEE!" she shouted in a primal scream of rage, close to a tiger's roar. People who were screaming turned to her and their jaws dropped at the sight of Daphne Greengrass standing, with her magic swirling around her.

"You want the coordinates?" said Daphne to Amelia. "You'll have them soon. There is more than one way to skin a kneazle."

And to everyone's shock, a ring appeared on her right ring finger. Many of them recognised what it was, as she touched and said "Potter Castle"

With that, Daphne Greengrass disappeared. Albus Dumbledore's jaw dropped. How did she leave the grounds using a portkey? That was impossible because only he, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts could create portkeys that could enter and leave the wards. Nothing else would work. How had she done that? He extended his senses and scanned the area and found the residual signature of a portkey. He would have to analyse it and change the wards later so that no one could use a portkey at Hogwarts except him. Was it something to do with Harry's status as Godric's heir?

Whatever she was up to, Daphne Greengrass had to be stopped. Harry had to die by Voldemort's hand so that Tom and his Death Eaters could be redeemed. He looked at the mirrors and cursed them again. There was no point in destroying them as there were too many of them. And there were millions of people watching what was going on at the graveyard. Anger bubbled in his gut as he recalled that Harry had murdered four Death Eaters. How could they be reformed if they were killed? Albus Dumbledore looked at the mirrors, curious to see what would happen now.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 46**

 **"** **Robert" said Amelia. "Go to the Ministry and find every curse breaker there and bring them here NOW! In the meantime, let's see how much we can disable on our own."**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** I'm really sorry to leave you hanging, but be assured that I will be updating soon. I tried to add more magical creatures to the task as well. I'm not sure if Nagini is a Horcrux. Did Voldemort create another Horcrux when he was weak and was essentially a necromantic construct? How did his body not fall apart due to the strain? That's why it is up to you to decide if you want Nagini to be a Horcrux or not. Either way, she is dead. As for Daphne being Lady Potter, as I explained, it is family magic. Harry wanted to ensure that in case something happened to him, the family magic wouldn't be lost. It would be with Daphne. I have explained before that Magic itself is sentient. It decided it Daphne was worthy to become Lady Potter. She was able to use the portkey because of her being Lady Gryffindor-Slytherin.

And yes, Harry knows that he would be facing Voldemort as Aquila warned him about it. It is his destiny to face the man, so he won't try to escape. As for him being stunned, even with the armour, eleven stunners being fired all around him at the same time will make him fall. Remember in Book 5 when McGonagall was hit by four stunners at the same time? The same principle applies here.

Someone asked me why some creatures can sense Harry as their saviour and others can't. It depends on the species becasue the creatures with limited intelligence can't recognise Harry. They can sense change, but they don't know that it is because of Harry. As for the Acromantulas, well, maybe they are a bunch of selfish spiders.

Thank you all for your reviews and support!


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Daphne Greengrass, the Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin appeared with a flash in the Entrance Hall of Potter Castle. Without wasting a moment, she ran towards Harry's study. Her ring flashed when she touched the door handle and it opened. She went to the other side of the room and tapped the plain wall three times with her wand. Her ring flashed again, and a rune plate appeared. She quickly tapped the various runes on it and the door materialised flashing a light blue around the edges. She opened the small safe and took out a sample of blood and a basin.

She placed the basin on the desk and tapped various runes on it. The inside of the basin swirled and Daphne dropped Harry's blood in it. She then opened a drawer and took out a special parchment and placed it on the desk. She waited for a minute, idly tapping runes and muttering charms, just as Harry had instructed her about two months ago. Finally, the inside of the basin turned deep red. Daphne took the parchment and dropped it on the basin. The parchment glowed and floated above the basin, with writing on it. Daphne smiled. She had found him.

The basin was a Potter family invention, designed by a daughter of the family in case a member of the family had to be found. It used a person's blood, and it would detect where he was, even if he was under wards. It would be distorted and not provide a very accurate position if there were too many wards, but it was accurate none the less. She placed the basin back in the safe, waved her wand and it sealed itself with another flash of blue light. She ran back to the Entrance Hall, touched the Slytherin ring and muttered 'Hogwarts'.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Back at Hogwarts, the crowd watched with bated breath as Harry was tied to a stone gargoyle. Amelia was busy barking orders to her Aurors who were trying to find where Harry was, using the crystal which was transmitting everything. Just then they heard something. Sirius turned and his eyes went wide. "Peter Pettigrew" he snarled, venom dripping from his words.

The Death Eaters tied Harry in ropes. There was a huge cauldron on the ground. One of the Death Eaters lit a fire underneath with a flick of his wand. Pettigrew came forward, carrying a bundle in his arms.

"Hurry" said a high, cold voice.

"It is ready Master" said a Death Eater.

"Now"

Pettigrew opened the bundle and people let out terrified screams. It revealed something ugly, something slimy and blind but was much worse. It looked like a human baby, except that it was hairless and scaly-looking. Its face was nothing like that of a human; it had red eyes and slits for nostrils. Wormtail dropped it into the cauldron which hissed as the creature's body hit the bottom.

"Voldemort" breathed out Sirius, unable to tear his eyes from the mirror. People started screaming in fright when they heard him. Bagman was unable to speak, and Fudge was shaking his head, muttering that it wasn't real.

Just then, Daphne appeared in a flash of light, right in the middle of the stadium. Everyone turned to face her. Dumbledore tried to intercept her, but she ran directly to Amelia. She handed her a piece of parchment and said "There are the coordinates where he is being held. Hurry!"

Amelia didn't need telling twice. "Come on, move it" she shouted to the dozen Aurors that were there. They, along with Sirius ran to the gates of Hogwarts, where they would create a portkey to the graveyard where Harry was being held.

Daphne looked at the mirror. She knew that going with them was a bad idea, as she would only be a hindrance. Talented she may be, but she wasn't an idiot. Her parents stood on either side of her, both ashen faced.

People watched as Pettigrew pointed his wand at the grave. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son" he said. The bottom of the grave rumbled, and a bone from the ground fell into the cauldron.

Pettigrew whimpered and hesitated. "Do it, Wormtail" hissed a voice, which many recognised as Lucius Malfoy. Pettigrew drew a long, thin knife from within his robes.

"Flesh of the servant, w-willingly given, you will r-revive your master"

With that, he cut off his hand and many people screamed along with Wormtail. Nobody had seen anything so horrifying in their lives. Daphne's eyes went wide as Peter went to Harry. He took his knife and many screamed and cried as they wondered what would happen to their beloved Boy Who Lived. Instead of killing him, Peter used the knife to make a cut in Harry left wrist, which others couldn't see was staring to heal on its own.

"B-blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe"

As Peter added the drops of blood in the cauldron, it began simmering, sending white sparks in all directions. The steam cleared, and a skeletal man slowly stepped out of the cauldron.

"Robe me" he said in a high, cold voice.

One of the Death Eaters scrambled as he went forward to place the robes over his master's neck. Everyone looked in sheer terror as the man's face came into view.

A snake-like face as white as bone, with red eyes with vertical pupils and slits for nostrils; Lord Voldemort had risen again.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Amelia, Sirius and the Aurors used the portkey and arrived farther than their required destination.

"What's going on here?" demanded Amelia.

One of the Aurors scanned the place and said "We're about three hundred meters from where were supposed to be, Director Black. It looks like the entire area of the graveyard is covered with ward stones and they have erected heavy duty wards around the area. They were more than prepared for it, ma'am. We will need specialised curse-breakers for us to enter."

"Damn it!" said Sirius.

"Robert" said Amelia. "Go to the Ministry and find every curse breaker there and bring them here NOW! In the meantime, let's see how much we can disable on our own."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Voldemort breathed deeply as he admired his new body. He saw Wormtail on the ground, clutching his hand. He opened his palm and his wand came soaring into his hand. He caressed his wand, happy to be reunited with it after such a long period of separation. He pointed his wand at Peter who lifted off the ground and hit the gravestone behind.

The Death Eaters came forward, kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes. They stood back in a circle, and Voldemort went forward.

"Show me your arm, Lucius" he said lazily.

Lucius Malfoy came forward and showed his left forearm. A vivid red tattoo of the dark mark was present. Voldemort pressed the mark and it suddenly turned black.

"Now" he said, "Let us all reunite once more."

There were sounds of Apparition, and about half a dozen women appeared, along with a few old men. They all took their place in the circle.

"How nice it is for me to welcome you all, Death Eaters" said Voldemort silkily. "After thirteen years, I can finally address you properly. I wonder why you band of witches and wizards never tried to find me all these years. Many of you came to me, but only when you realised that your power base had dwindled and you were wanted members by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Anything you would like to say?"

Voldemort punished some of his servants, when finally, Harry stirred. He opened his eyes to find himself tied. He could see his wand was located nearby. His eyes went wide when he saw that Voldemort had indeed risen again. He had to act quickly.

The people at Hogwarts watched as Voldemort named every one of his Death Eaters. Many glared at Fudge when he said that it was impossible for them to be Death Eaters, as they were purebloods of high standing.

"Narcissa" said Voldemort silkily. "Do not worry. You will have your sister back with you soon enough. I won't let Bellatrix suffer in Azkaban anymore."

"Thank you, my Lord" muttered Narcissa, bowing.

Draco Malfoy went pale as he saw both his parents on the mirror. The people around were all looking at him. Suddenly someone screamed "Look!"

Everyone heard an eagle's shriek. They saw a golden eagle fly into the air and dive. To everyone's immense shock, the eagle changed into Hadrian Potter, who stood several feet away from Voldemort, as he summoned his wand to his hand.

Harry immediately slashed his wand in the air and a dark cutting curse flew towards Voldemort who dodged, but a Death Eater behind wasn't so lucky. Harry's curse impacted him, cutting his body in half. Another rapidly approaching curse, an organ-liquefying curse also impacted another Death Eater.

"Hadrian Potter" breathed Voldemort, ignoring the Death Eater screaming in agony as his organs burned due to the dark curse. "Well, well, looks like someone knows how to play dirty. Don't you think Albus Dumbledore would be disappointed in you for using such curses? Tsk, tsk. My congratulations on achieving the animagus transformation so young; it's a pleasure to finally meet you" he said in a mocking voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Tom Riddle" said Harry with a smirk. "I've waited a long time for this moment. How have you been? Thirteen years of isolation didn't make you more insane than before I hope?" he asked in mock concern, as he easily dodged a curse fired by a Death Eater.

"He's mine to deal with" hissed Voldemort as he fired a Cruciatus Curse at Amycus Carrow, making the man scream in pain. "Don't you dare call me that, _boy_! You are nothing but a _child_. I am Lord Voldemort, the Heir of Salazar Slytherin, the greatest wizard of them all!"

Harry fired several curses and so did Voldemort. The Death Eaters spread out, and created a wide circle, giving them space, as Harry and Voldemort circled each other.

"After all this time, you're still the same insecure sixteen-year-old boy with daddy issues, aren't you, Tom?" taunted Harry as he dodged a killing curse. "I was disappointed with your sixteen-year-old self that came out of your diary, and I'm disappointed in you as well."

Just then, Harry flicked his wand at Voldemort. The power of the spell which emanated from his wand made the Death Eaters push back further. Voldemort fired a killing curse and the two curses met. Blue and green beams of light met each other in mid-air, trying to overpower the other.

But Voldemort ended it and stopped firing, and so did Harry. They did have a lot to talk about after all.

"What diary?" he hissed.

"Oh didn't dear Lucius tell you?" smirked Harry. "Your precious diary that would open the Chamber of Secrets was destroyed when I stabbed it with a basilisk fang. Lucius decided to use it to purge the school of muggleborns but sadly, it didn't work. I was sure that you would be angry about that fact. After all, it did give me a chance to meet you two years ago. You were most unimpressive, Tommy boy. I was utterly disappointed."

"Lucius, is what Potter saying true?" hissed Voldemort. When Malfoy didn't reply, he pointed his wand and said " _Crucio!_ "

"You and your family have been a thorn in my side for too long, Potter" said Voldemort quietly, ignoring a twitching Lucius and the still form of Pettigrew who seemed to have died from pain and blood loss. "My Death Eaters informed me about your mother being a parselmouth and that she created a ritual to save your life; most astounding and impressive. But you have managed to impress me as well, Hadrian Potter. It is only logical that only someone extraordinary could be the person who was destined to defeat me. Unfortunately, that won't happen. You're going to die tonight Potter. And the Potter and Gryffindor families are going to end with you, finally, by my hand, Lord Voldemort, the heir of Salazar Slytherin! Very fitting, don't you think?"

"What makes you think you're the heir of the founder Salazar Slytherin?" asked Harry, as they circled each other. He sent a mental message to Aquila to be ready at any second. There were more than twenty Death Eaters here, and he needed the help of the thunderbird.

"How dare you question my ancestry Potter? I am -" snarled Voldemort but was interrupted by Harry.

"-the son of a muggle and a squib, I know" said Harry, dodging a Killing Curse. "But wait! I have more. You _are_ the heir of Salazar Slytherin" he said, earning a smirk from Voldemort's lipless mouth. "But you're the heir of the founder's adopted son, Salazar Slytherin Junior, who married into the Gaunt family. You don't have a drop of blood of the founder Salazar Slytherin in your body. And guess who really does have it?" he asked, showing the Gryffindor and Slytherin rings on his left hand.

"I'm the true, blood descendant of the founder Salazar Slytherin. I'm the heir of the kind and honourable man who was murdered while he tried to stop his adopted son from committing genocide by murdering witches, wizards and muggles alike. I'm Lord Potter-Gryffindor-Slytherin!" declared Harry.

"You murdered my mother, who was the daughter of the Slytherin family, claiming her title to be yours" said Harry quietly, lightning bolts appearing around his body as his anger increased. "I'm going to kill you, Riddle. Tonight, I'm going to avenge the deaths of my parents and grandparents, along with every life you have ever taken. Come on, Riddle, let's end this once and for all!" said Harry.

That was the trigger. Voldemort snarled and fired a multitude of curses at Harry, who dodged them all and fired his own curses at the older man. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble of thunder and lightning flashed. Aquila appeared in the air and threw several bolts of lightning at the Death Eaters below. The Death Eaters were too shocked to react and many of them were incinerated within seconds of the lightning impacting their body. The others realised that the bird was a threat and fired spells at it, but Aquila dodged them all. The thunderbird flung bolt after bolt of lightning, as a storm was formed in the sky above, shielding him from the Death Eaters, but they were trapped due to the lethal bolts of lightning that came from the other side, courtesy of Harry's offhand.

Vodemort and Harry were locked in a heated duel of their own. Harry fired curses at his opponent, but Voldemort dodged them all easily.

"Why don't you give up, Hadrian?" taunted Voldemort. "You're no match for my power."

"I beg to differ" grunted Harry as he pointed his wand at the various gargoyles in the graveyard.

" _Piertotum Locomotor_ " cast Harry mentally.

The various stone gargoyles leaped from their places and attacked Vodemort who blasted them apart, although this provided a distraction for Harry who used it to his advantage. He fired curses at Voldemort, drawing out first blood.

The gashes on Voldemort's body started healing at a fast rate, and he snarled as he fired another killing curse at Harry, who simply dodged it. That's when Vodemort created a huge basilisk out of fiendfyre. The creature was fifty feet long, and it bared its fangs, threateningly.

Voldemort laughed as he fired several cutting curses, some of which impacted Harry, drawing out blood, though not as much as Voldemort expected. Though to his shock, Harry started healing automatically too.

"I can see that you used rituals to enhance your body as well, Potter" yelled Voldemort. "But you don't heal as fast as I do. You used the pathetic, weak versions! There is no hope for you, Potter! Give up while you can."

But Harry didn't respond. He was busy with the Fiendfyre basilisk. He went behind a gravestone and flicked his wand back to his holster.

"Come out, come out, little Hadrian!" taunted Voldemort as the fire basilisk stood next to him, emitting intense heat. The heat was destroying the graveyard and the surrounding village as well. "Come out, come out and play! Are we playing hide and seek? That's what _children_ like you do, right? Or do you want to quit? I promise your death will be quick if you surrender."

Harry instead concentrated. The air thickened with magic, and suddenly the storm became worse. Heavy rain pelted on them as lightning flashed more brightly than what was normal.

Harry pushed himself from behind a bolder and screamed as a lightning bolt impacted him from the sky and several powerful bolts of lightning sprang from his fingertips of both hands. Within seconds, there was a massive thunderbird in front of the basilisk, made of magical lightning, which stood nearly a hundred feet in height, towering over the fiendfyre basilisk.

"What magic is this?" shouted Voldemort. Suddenly, he was afraid. No one other than Dumbledore had been able to fight him for so long and still survive, and Potter had suffered only minimal injuries until now.

The rain pelted harder. On one hand were Death Eaters being burned to a crisp by Aquila; on another hand was the fiendfyre basilisk fighting the larger thunderbird made of lightning; and next to them were Harry and Voldemort fighting furiously, their wands only a blur as flashes of light impacted the ground between them.

The fight continued for several minutes, and both Voldemort and Harry were feeling the strain as they were both injured as well. Harry, while quite powerful still lacked experience compared to the older man, while Voldemort had grown weak due to the destruction of his Horcruxes, not to mention was still not used to his new body. Light, grey and dark curses were thrown around by both wizards. Some like Dumbledore would argue that the curses Harry used were dark, but he would beg to differ. Magic was all about intent and some of the curses while highly lethal, lacked the malice required for true Dark Magic. Some of the curses used by Voldemort, on the other hand, required intense negative emotion to power them, which were the true forms of Dark Magic.

But Harry's inexperience was his undoing. Voldemort sent several killing curses at the same time in different directions. Harry conjured marble to block the one directly headed his way while he dodged the rest, but Voldemort sent a powerful blasting curse directly at the conjured stone. With a yelp, Harry flew back and painfully hit a gravestone. He spat blood as he took another dark cutting curse, though was able to dodge the killing curse.

With a snarl, Harry twirled his wand, as his spells grew even more powerful. They duelled furiously, using everything in their surroundings to give them the upper hand, as Harry switched tactics, using a wide range of Transfiguration and Charms to fight. The gravestones were used to block and banish the remains to the other while transfiguring the debris into sharp metallic weapons. The mud on the ground was used to hinder Voldemort's grip, making his feet unsteady on the ground while Harry had to deal with several dead corpses which were headed his way. Tigers, snakes, wolves and any other creature that could be lethal were conjured and used for the fight, while a ring of fire or a dome of water dominated the landscape. It was Transfiguration at its best, with the best of Charms added to it. Jets of multicoloured light flew from both wands as the wizards switched back to firing powerful curses at each other which made both Harry and Voldemort dodge them, though were both injured. Harry has a large gash on the side of his face, along with many others on his body. He was eternally glad that he had commissioned for the basilisk hide armour as the cutting curses were sure to have finished him off without them. The healing ritual too was working overtime, though not fast enough as Harry's injuries were extensive. He hissed as another dark cutting curse impacted his left thigh, making it difficult to move. But it seemed that Harry was holding his own, as Voldemort was finding it hard to defeat him.

The Death Eaters present had all been killed now. All of them were burnt to a crisp, their bodies charred, thanks to Harry and Aquila's magical lightning. The fiendyre basilisk had been overpowered by the massive lighting made thunderbird and both of them had disappeared. It was now only Harry and Voldemort, duelling with each other furiously, each not willing to budge an inch and accept defeat. They couldn't sense the wards around the graveyard being taken down one by one by the curse breakers.

Magical fights usually were quite short as the spells used were quick and efficient, but this was different. They had been duelling for half an hour now and it was definitely a duel for the history books, outstripping the duel between Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore in 1945.

Finally, Voldemort had enough and fired a killing curse again, just as Harry fired another high-powered lethal curse he had found in the Potter grimoire. Green and red spells met each other in mid-air again, but this time, Voldemort was determined to beat Harry. Blasts from the point where the spells met flew in all directions, destroying what was remaining of the graveyard around them. Harry snarled and pushed more magic into it. Finally, he decided to go for it as the element of surprise would finally work in his favour.

Voldemort gritted his teeth as he concentrated on the killing curse, wanting to end Potter's miserable life as soon as possible. Suddenly, he found bolts of lightning coming towards him. His eyes widened, but before he could end the killing curse to create a shield or even attempt to dodge, the lightning impacted him, making him drop his wand, as he fell to the ground screaming.

Harry flicked his wand in an upward gesture and the killing curse missed him. He limped forward, his right hand gripping his wand while lightning sprang from the fingertips of his left.

He used the lightning to torture Voldemort and weaken him for a minute. Once done, he stopped and ensured that Voldemort couldn't escape. Harry looked into Voldemort's furious eyes and said -

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . . and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not . . . and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives . . .The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies . . ."_

"I'm not willing to give up my life so that a psychopath like you can destroy the world" said Harry quietly. "After tonight, there will be no more Tom Marvolo Riddle; no more Lord Voldemort." With that, Harry pointed his wand at Voldemort who started laughing.

"You think you can kill me, Hadrian Potter?" laughed Voldemort. " _I am immortal_! I am the greatest wizard of them all! I will find you and kill you, Potter, along with that Greengrass bitch of yours, yes, I know of her too and once I'm done with you, I will ensure that the Greengrasses and Blacks are extinct!"

"See?" shouted Harry, finally losing his temper and firing another burst of lightning at Voldemort. "This is the reason why I called you a psychopath. You don't care about the magical world at all, do you Riddle? You only want to be the overlord! What is the point of trying to rule over a society when there are no people left?"

"You kill purebloods who stand in your way" snarled Harry, as he tortured Voldemort with more bursts of lightning. "You don't care about half-bloods and muggleborns and so you kill them for no reason. You kill magical creatures because you see them as beneath you! Why do you even want to do it? They're all magical, can't you see that?" shouted Harry.

"Look around you, Riddle! Look around! What do you see? Only destruction! This would be the state of the magical world had you gained power! _What is the point?_ Do you want to rule over dirt? Then why don't you fucking leave the planet and go rule on Mars? There is plenty of dirt over there for you to boss over! Why the fuck did you kidnap me? Didn't you learn your lesson? DON'T FUCKING MESS WITH THE POTTER FAMILY! Is that so difficult for you to understand?" yelled Harry, firing more bursts of lightning from his fingertips.

"You're a moron, Riddle!" said Harry. "Prophecies don't always get fulfilled. Don't you get it? By attacking me, you created a self-fulfilling prophecy! Dumbledore set a trap for you! He did all that to get my family killed! Did you think you were the only old man interested in me? Did you think Dumbledore was stupid enough to not know that Peter Pettigrew was the spy? Use your brains! He's a master at Legilimency! How could he not know? He purposely set me up to die and for you to be weakened!"

"And YOU!" said Harry, firing another bolt of lightning, making Voldemort scream in agony. "Your precious ancestor Salazar Jr killed my ancestor Salazar Slytherin. Do you want more proof that I'm the Lord of the Slytherin family? Look at my eyes, Riddle. My eyes are emerald green, the trademark of the Slytherin family. I'm the descendant of Salazar's only biological daughter, Amarantha Evangeline. The family had maintained their name for a thousand years, and Lily Evans was born a witch to a family that had tragically lost its magic in an accident. Your ancestor murdered his adopted father! The entire world thinks that Salazar Slytherin was evil, while the man was the kindest person one could hope to meet! Your ancestor corrupted the name of his adopted father, and this is the result! And you killed my mother, and shed the blood of the Slytherin family again, just like your ancestor. HOW DARE YOU?"

"As for you being immortal" said Harry, with an evil grin on his face. "Don't worry. I've been working right under your non-existent and Dumbledore's crooked noses and destroyed all your trinkets. The Head of the DMLE, Amelia Black knows about his as well. You thought you were the only one to know about their existence, didn't you? I wasn't the only one to try to bring you down. Remember Regulus Black? The teenager who was forced to become a Death Eater? He was barely eighteen when he sacrificed his life to bring you down! The diary given to Lucius Malfoy; the ring buried in the Gaunt shack over a mile away from here; Hufflepuff's cup which was in Bellatrix's vault; Ravenclaw's diadem which was at Hogwarts; and Slytherin's locket which was in the cave – I've destroyed them all! You're fucking mortal now Riddle!" shouted Harry, as Voldemort's eyes bulged in shock.

Harry flicked his wand to his holster. He extended his palm; a golden light surrounded his hand and the sword of Godric Gryffindor appeared in his hand. He gripped it tightly.

"I'm not going to let you destroy my life" whispered Harry, his eyes blazing with fury. "I'm not going to let you destroy the magical world which I case so much about. GO TO HELL!" shouted Harry as he slashed the sword, splitting Voldemort's neck as Harry beheaded him. Voldemort's head rolled over, away from his body. With another slash of the sword, Voldemort's wand was destroyed as well.

Tom Marvolo Riddle was dead.

Harry stood shaking, as he looked at Voldemort's corpse. The sword of Gryffindor disappeared again in a flash of golden light. Tears blurred his vision as his knees hit the ground.

Light rain was falling on his face now, as Aquila smoothly landed next to him.

" _You did it Harry!"_ said Aquila. " _I'm so proud of you!"_

Harry looked at his oldest friend and brother. He grabbed the giant thunderbird and sobbed his heart out. Aquila covered Harry with his wings and provided as much comfort as he could to his human brother.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 47**

 **Unknown to Dumbledore, the Elder Wand had started glowing.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** And we are here! Voldemort is dead! As you can see, while Harry was trained by Moody and still has Riddle's knowledge, in a fight for your life, it is still different from training where you know that you can get help. It was not easy for Harry to defeat Voldemort. It was due to his knowledge coupled with his skills and power (and something else, hint hint) that helped him win. He didn't escape unscratched as you can see. I tried to do my best without making Harry too powerful (God like, I mean).

If you are wondering why Harry didn't use his spare wand, as I mentioned before, it is illegal to own one. It's like having a permit for one gun, but having another unregistered gun with you as well. It won't stop you from being prosecuted for owning the second gun just because you have a license for the first. That being said, even though Harry is ambidextrous and can duel with either hand, he doesn't duel with two wands. He duels with one wand only.

I believe prophecies don't always have to get fulfilled. If a person knows about the prophecy, he will try to ensure the bad part of it doesn't come true and will try to manipulate it to his benefit. Unfortunately, if the person tries that, his actions could actually result in the prophecy taking effect. In Star Wars, Anakin desperately tries to save his wife. He becomes a Sith only to save Padme, but in the end, the actions he took to save Padme were the cause of her death. Had he not taken that path, she would have lived. That's my theory anyway. That's what I meant by self-fulfilling prophecy. Dumbledore's reasoning behind why he did it all will be explained soon.

As for the crystal and why the Death Eaters didn't notice it; if you read the previous chapter, I have said that the crystals were charmed to be invisible at first glance. Besides, why would anyone bother with something like that when you are fighting for your life? Even a momentary distraction could mean the difference between life and death.

Thanks for your reviews everyone!


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Draco Malfoy went pale as he saw both his parents on the mirror. The people around were all looking at him. Suddenly someone screamed "Look!"

Everyone heard an eagle's shriek. They saw a golden eagle fly into the air and dive. To everyone's immense shock, the eagle changed into Hadrian Potter, who stood several feet away from Voldemort, as he summoned his wand to his hand.

Dumbledore and McGonagall's jaws dropped in shock. "Bloody hell!" exclaimed Bagman, his voice still enhanced. "He's an animagus? B-but he's only a fourteen-year-old boy! How is that possible?" he spluttered.

Dumbledore couldn't believe his eyes. Harry was an animagus! His form was that of a golden eagle. How could he not have known this before?

People watched as Harry and Voldemort greeted each other. Dumbledore himself was stunned by the amount of power and the spells Harry was using. They watched as Voldemort tortured Lucius Malfoy because of the destroyed diary, and Draco couldn't believe his eyes. He had grown up hearing about how great the Dark Lord was, and here was the man torturing his father!

Everyone watched with immense shock as Harry disproved Voldemort's theory of him being the Heir of Slytherin.

"I'm Lord Potter-Gryffindor-Slytherin!" declared Harry. At this, Dumbledore drastically paled. This was not good, not good at all. How had Harry managed to obtain the Lordships of the Gryffindor and Slytherin families without him realising it? Just how blind had he been for the past couple of years? What was happening here? Harry was supposed to accept his destiny and lay down his life for the Greater Good. He was supposed to let Tom kill him! He wasn't supposed to fight the man. How else could Tom be reformed? That was what the prophecy meant, wasn't it?

Everyone watched as Harry and Voldemort duelled furiously. People were in awe of the sheer amount of magic being thrown around by the two wizards. Suddenly, a flash of lightning could be seen. The mirror provided a better view and they saw, to their immense shock, Harry's thunderbird familiar throwing bolt after bolt of lightning at the twenty odd Death Eaters on the ground below, along with lightning emanating from the fingertips of Harry's left hand.

Dumbledore smiled when he saw Harry hide behind a gravestone. But that smile turned into shock as everyone screamed as the lightning bolt impacted Harry's body. People all over the world were in awe of the thunderbird that Harry had created out of lightning, which was over 100 feet in height.

"Merlin's saggy balls!" shouted Bagman, forgetting that there were kids present. "That thing is what, a hundred feet in height? That thunderbird is made of lightning! _Lightning_! Hadrian Potter just conjured a fucking hundred foot thunderbird made of lightning!"

Unknown to Dumbledore, the Elder Wand had started glowing. The wand was definitely unlucky in that it would stay only with power-hungry men and women. It merged with their old wand, absorbing its magic and then ensured that their master would win any number of fights. But while the master of the wand was immensely powerful, it was the power of the wand that won duels, not the caster. But here, the wand was not with its master. No, Hadrian Potter was using his loyal Yew and Nundu heartstring wand to fight Voldemort. Harry was very fond of his wand, and even if he had the Elder wand with him, wouldn't have used it as his own wand was quite powerful in channelling his raw power. The Elder wand knew that. Here was a wizard, who was the master of the wand and yet didn't possess it; who was very powerful and yet didn't seek out the wand. It was something the wand had never expected, but it had a duty to help its master. So it did it in the only way possible. Since it couldn't be physically present with its master to help him, it started transferring its power to Harry through the bond between them. The power of the elder wand itself was being fused with Harry's magical core, strengthening him.

People watched for the next several minutes with bated breath as Harry and Voldemort duelled with everything they had. The duel was spectacular, and also deadly. People woke up to the harsh realities of what war was really like, and many were in awe of Harry, who was a fourteen-year-old boy, being able to hold his own against a Dark Lord who was five times his age. After several minutes of duelling using various branches of magic, they both fired spells at each other which met in mid-air.

People screamed as the blasts and sparks from the two spells colliding could be seen on the mirrors. Both Harry and Voldemort's spells were battling for dominance, but everyone could see that Harry was clearly winning the fight. Suddenly, bolts of lightning flew from the fingertips of Harry's fingers and attacked Voldemort.

People started loudly clapping and cheering when Voldemort fell down, but they quietened when they heard Harry talk. There were many wide eyes when Harry mentioned the prophecy. Some of them even turned to look at Neville, once they realised that he too could have been the Boy Who Lived.

Dumbledore was shocked to stillness. Things were going in ways he had never, ever foreseen. How? How did it all go wrong? Had Harry defeated Voldemort? How could that be possible? He knew that he wasn't dreaming, as he had seen the fight that had taken place between the two wizards. The fact that Harry could fight like that given his age scared Albus. He had to think of something to stop Harry, quickly.

Dumbledore's jaw dropped when he realised that Harry knew about Voldemort's Horcruxes. How did the boy know? For that matter of fact, how did he even know what a Horcrux was in the first place? He paled as he heard Harry mention all the artefacts which Albus had thought might have been used by Tom for his Horcruxes. This was not good at all!

His face burned with anger when he heard Harry accuse him of setting up the Potters to die. He looked at the stadium and many narrowed eyes were looking at him with disgust. Albus was glad that Sirius wasn't here; if not there would have been another duel, right there at Hogwarts; not that Sirius could ever hope to win against him.

When everyone saw Harry behead Voldemort, people started cheering and magical fireworks exploded in the air, courtesy of many witches and wizards who had lost families thanks to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. People were hugging each other, laughing, others crying, as Hadrian Potter had saved them again.

"Long live the Boy Who Lived! Long live Hadrian Potter!" someone shouted.

"To Hadrian Potter, the Chosen One!"

"To Hadrian Potter, the defeater of You-Know-Who!"

"May Magic bless our saviour, Hadrian Potter!"

As Harry cried hugging his thunderbird familiar, magical creatures all over the world celebrated the victory of the Lightning Lord.

Daphne Greengrass smiled as she closed her eyes, tears falling down her beautiful face. He had done it. Harry had been victorious. Voldemort was dead. But she turned and saw the shocked face of Albus Dumbledore and her eyes narrowed. She would keep an eye on that man. She wouldn't let anyone touch her fiancé, and Dumbledore was the person powerful enough to do it. She smirked as an idea flashed to her, and she discreetly touched the Gryffindor and Slytherin family rings on her hand and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, there was a light flash from the rings and she opened her eyes.

Daphne turned around and saw that both her parents were crying tears of happiness. In a distance, she could see her sister and friends were all crying as well. She had never seen her father cry before but knew that the situation was something no one had expected. The man who had terrorised the country for so many years and had killed countless witches and wizards was now dead; killed by her fiancé.

She was so proud of him that words failed her. She just wanted him back in her arms so that she could see for herself that he was safe. Just then, she saw in the mirror that the Aurors had broken through.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Amelia and Sirius relentless tried to break through the wards around the graveyard. But the Auror was right; the Death Eaters had been highly prepared for this. There were numerous wards around the place and they had to track down several different ward stones that powered the wards around the place. And they were all of the deadly variety and so had to be handled with care so that none of them died in the attempt.

Amelia tried to remain calm, but it was useless. Tears flowed down her face as she thought about the fate of the boy who was the closest thing she had to a son. She relentlessly tried to break through the wards, working alongside the curse breakers, braving the horrible rain and wind.

Suddenly, they saw an enormous snake made of –

"Fiendfyre" whispered Sirius in agony as his eyes filled with tears.

But in a span of several seconds, they saw an even bigger spectacle. A thunderbird, made out of lightning itself, probably a hundred feet tall began to engage the basilisk made of fiendfyre.

"It's Harry!" yelled Sirius. "He's fighting Voldemort!"

"Everyone, move it!" shouted Amelia. "Blast the wards and destroy the ward stones if you have to! Just get those wards down!"

"But ma'am, we could destroy the whole village in the process, and us too" yelled a curse breaker. "There wards here are highly illegal and deadly. It will take more time to bring them down safely!"

"Do it as quickly as you can" said Amelia, wiping the tears from her eyes. They worked for several minutes, idly listening to the heavy spell fire coming from the graveyard. Suddenly, the spellfire stopped.

"How much longer?" barked Amelia.

"Just a few more minutes, Director Black" said a curse breaker. "We're almost there!"

After what seemed like an eternity to Sirius and Amelia, the wards finally came down. They checked for danger, and immediately rushed forward. Once they reached the site, they gasped.

The place was basically a war zone. Death and destruction could be seen everywhere as nearly twenty-five dead bodies were on the ground. In the middle of the ground, Harry was standing with a massive thunderbird.

"Harry!" shouted Sirius and Amelia, and went forward. They gasped at the state he was in. His clothes were torn in many places and he had deep gashes on his body. There was also a long gash on his face. Harry turned and saw the two people who could ever come close to his parents. He limped towards them and hugged Sirius and Amelia at the same time.

"We're sorry that it took so long" whispered Amelia. "But there were heavy duty wards around the place. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" said Harry, pulling back. "It's over. Voldemort is dead."

"He's dead?" asked Sirius in bewilderment.

Harry nodded and pointed to the beheaded corpse a few feet away. The Aurors all gasped and looked at Harry as if he were Merlin himself. If there was one place in the Ministry which could truly understand what Voldemort and his Death Eaters were capable of, it was the Auror Office, as they had personally been involved in the war. To them, Voldemort and his Death Eaters were what killed so many of their comrades and families, and here was a boy who had killed them all, and in the process ended another war before it even began. Harry had just gained an enormous fan following in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Contact the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes" said Amelia to an Auror. "And tell them to send several teams of Obliviators. We'll need to obliviate all the muggles who live in this village. And tell them to restore the village as well. The fiendfyre and different curses certainly did its job in destroying it."

"Yes ma'am" said the Auror and Disapparated.

"Come on Harry" said Sirius. "Let's get you to the hospital. We need to treat your injuries."

"No" said Harry stubbornly. "Daphne; I need to see Daphne. Let's go back to Hogwarts."

Harry immediately turned to the thunderbird and hugged him again. " _Thank you for coming to my rescue again, Aquila. I couldn't have done it without you."_

 _"_ _I'll always be there for you, little one. Go on, go meet Daphne. I'll see you soon"_ said Aquila. With that, everyone watched in awe as the thunderbird flew into the sky and with a flash of lightning, disappeared.

"That is one awesome bird" said an Auror.

Harry chuckled. "Don't let him hear you say that; he has a big enough ego as it is. But you're right; he truly is amazing" he said smiling.

"Sirius, you go ahead" said Amelia, coming towards them. "I'll have to handle this mess. And take that crystal with you. This is a crime scene. I would prefer it to be back at Hogwarts."

"Crystal?" asked Harry confused.

"Oh yeah" said Sirius. "It seems the crystal that was following you in the maze got caught in the portkey. The whole world probably saw the duel between you and Voldemort."

"What?" asked Harry in shock.

Sirius steered a shocked Harry to the Triwizard Cup. "A Triwizard Official was placed under the Imperius Curse to make the cup into a portkey to this place" he explained. "We found it quick enough, but we were unable to find out where you were. Daphne disappeared for a while and came back with the coordinates of this place. So this portkey should return us back to Hogwarts."

With that, both Sirius and Harry grabbed the handle, and they felt the familiar jerk behind their navel.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry's feet touched solid ground again amidst thunderous applause and cheers. He immediately felt a body slam into him, and he picked her up and swung her around, smiling into her hair, ignoring the pain his injuries caused. Daphne always felt so wonderful in his arms. He leaned down and kissed her passionately, and he soon felt the stress melt away.

No one saw Albus Dumbledore talking furiously with Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge whose face seemed to be getting redder and redder by the second.

Amelia had sent more Aurors to Hogwarts to control the mob as everyone was in a celebratory mood. The other three champions, who had been retrieved as soon as Harry disappeared, were ashen-faced as they realised how close they had come to losing their lives. Had they reached the Triwizard Cup first, nothing would have stopped them from facing certain death.

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice shout "Aurors, arrest that criminal!"

Everyone turned to find Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic looking furiously at Hadrian Potter. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Just who are you planning to arrest, Minister?" asked Cyrus Greengrass lightly, stepping next to his eldest daughter and putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Potter!" yelled Fudge. "I'm talking about Potter! Aurors, arrest him!"

Everyone celebrating stopped to look at Fudge as if he had lost his mind. "I have a title, _Minister_ " said Harry softly, but his voice could be heard clearly to everyone. No one noticed that the crystals monitoring the champions were still active, along with a crystal of the Magical Daily Press. "Besides, why should I be arrested?" he asked.

"You're a mass murderer!" yelled Fudge, his face turning purple, a shade that Harry was sure that even Uncle Vernon could never achieve, and that was saying something. "You killed twenty five purebloods who were upstanding members of the country! I'll have you kissed for this, Potter! Aurors, what are you waiting for? Arrest him!"

But none of the Aurors moved, but all of them looked at Fudge with intense hatred in their eyes. Harry had just stopped another war which could have killed them all, and here was an idiot who wanted them to arrest the very same boy who saved their lives?

"I think it would be better if you returned home, Mr Fudge." said Daphne lightly.

"I agree" said Sirius smoothly. "I'm pretty sure the Wizengamot will have some questions for you; questions regarding where your loyalties truly lie – with the people, or with Dark Lords like Voldemort."

"How dare you?" shouted Fudge, and Dumbledore winced. He had hoped that Fudge would take a more subtle approach, but unfortunately, the word subtlety wasn't written in his dictionary.

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to Fudge?" snapped Daphne, her tigress instincts taking control again. "You want to arrest the very person who single-handedly killed Voldemort, the Dark Lord who you're so scared of that you can't even bear to hear his name? Are you fucking stupid, you bumbling fool?"

"Just who do you think you are talking to you silly girl -" said Fudge but was interrupted by Daphne.

"I'm Lady Potter you bumbling buffoon, and I'm also the daughter of Lord Cyrus Greengrass, don't you dare take that tone with me" said Daphne coldly.

"I'm sure our esteemed Minister didn't mean offence, Miss Greengrass" said Dumbledore walking forward, his aura palpable; clearly he was angry. "But I am afraid he is right in that young Harry has committed mass murder. Didn't you see the number of people he killed? I counted twenty five people he killed tonight not counting Voldemort himself, and I'm afraid he is to pay the consequences for his actions."

"Consequences?" snarled Cyrus. "Are you blind, Dumbledore? Didn't you see him being abducted by Death Eaters? He was facing innumerable amount of odds against him, and I didn't see you go there to help him. The entire country saw what happened there, and you think you can blame Harry for what happened? He killed Voldemort and prevented a bloody war! As far as I'm concerned, those Death Eaters brought it upon themselves by serving that madman."

"But he didn't kill Voldemort" said Dumbledore lightly, discreetly drawing his wand. "You see, Voldemort can only be killed for good if Harry dies as well. This is something I've always known. He carries a piece of Voldemort in his scar. So unless Harry is killed, Voldemort cannot be defeated. It is best if you surrender Harry."

Harry laughed coldly. "Is that the best you got, Dumbledore?" he taunted. "Look here; no scar" said Harry, pulling back his hair and showing his unblemished forehead, hiding his rising panic. "Do you think no one would have detected something like that? I have been working with Lady Black, the Head of the DMLE to defeat Voldemort. He is not immortal. He is dead. Understood? D.E.A.D! His body is lying in that fucking graveyard. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself" said Harry quietly, though the power behind the words made Dumbledore stop short.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my boy" said Dumbledore. In a flash, there were flashes of spells between them as people screamed. One second everything was calm, the next second, there was a ring of fire in the middle of the grounds, with Dumbledore, Harry and Daphne standing inside it, fighting furiously, with Harry and Daphne on one side, and Dumbledore on the other.

Sirius Black and Cyrus Greengrass were on the ground, their robes becoming stained with blood at a very fast rate.

"Cyrus!" shouted Elizabeth. She immediately waved her wand over them, checking the damage. It looked like Dumbledore had used a dark cutting curse on them, and it was lucky that Daphne had escaped unscratched. She swished her wand and started treating and stabilising them.

"Out of the way!" shouted Poppy Pomfrey to the people in front of her. She immediately went to help Elizabeth who was a healer herself and started treating the two men. Once they were stabilised, she levitated them both, and ran to the Hospital Wing, with Elizabeth and Astoria Greengrass by her side.

Professor Flitwick came forward. "No!" he shouted, raising his wand. "You will not torture that boy anymore. You have abused Harry enough in his life. I will not stand for it a moment longer!"

He came forward and cast spells, but the ring of fire stood up like a wall, preventing him access.

"This is an honour duel" gasped Flitwick.

An honour duel was done between two parties if one felt the other party had greatly wronged them. It could not be done without reason, as Magic itself would decide if the honour duel was necessary if one was declared. If it was, a ring of fire would surround them, and wouldn't let anyone through, until the duel was finished. This was a tradition that was seen all over the world, and the earliest texts about magic had mentioned them and the last honour duel that had taken place in Britain was more than fifty years ago.

Suddenly, Dumbledore realised that as well, and he stopped firing, and so did Harry and Daphne. Harry couldn't believe that he was to face both his enemies on a single day. But he was also very tired and badly injured. The duel with Voldemort had taken its toll on him, and he knew that fighting Dumbledore was no picnic. While Voldemort was weakened due to the destruction of his Horcruxes, Dumbledore was still very powerful. Harry bit his lip as he gripped his wand tighter. If he lost this duel, Dumbledore would do his utmost best to lock him up or worse sentence him to a date with a Dementor. He hoped that it wouldn't work, as Harry's political influence and allies had grown. But Dumbledore must not get a chance to say anything more about the Horcruxes. If he did, things would turn very ugly, very fast for Harry as any mention of having a piece of the Dark Lord in his head, even if it was removed, would be very bad in that it won't sit well with the public. Dumbledore was very determined in that he wouldn't stop till his last breath. Harry was still on shaky ground. His eyes widened as he recognised the markings of an Honour duel. What was going on here?

"I have declared an honour duel" said Daphne, with a calm expression on her face, but her eyes were burning with fire that no one had seen before. "This duel is between Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and Albus Dumbledore. This duel represents all that he has done to the Potter family. He deliberately leaked the prophecy to Voldemort through Severus Snape, a Death Eater, so that Voldemort would target the Potter family. He then used mind altering spells and potions on Lord James and Lady Lily Potter to make them move from Potter Manor to a small cottage in Godric's Hollow. He then cast the Fidelius Charm on the cottage and made Peter Pettigrew the Secret Keeper, knowing full well that he was a Death Eater, and would give the secret to the Dark Lord Voldemort. He then kidnapped the Heir Apparent of the Potter family and placed him with magic hating muggle relatives, knowing that he would be horribly abused there."

"He, knowing that Severus Snape was responsible for the deaths of the late Lord and Lady Potter by leaking information to his master Voldemort, still hired him to teach at Hogwarts and allowed the man to insult the memory of Lord Hadrian Potter's deceased parents. He knowingly stole a Potter family heirloom that has been in the family for centuries. He deliberately painted a target on Lord Hadrian Potter, vilifying him in the eyes of the entire country. He tried to commit line theft by trying to force Lord Hadrian Potter into marrying another girl and also used Lord Potter's blood for his own purposes, which he extracted without consent. He deliberately placed Lord Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire, to ensure that he would be forced to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. And now, Albus Dumbledore is trying to end the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin, and as Lady Potter, I declare this a duel of honour on behalf of the Potter family, so mote it be!"

The fire all around them turned blue, signifying that they were trapped, and that Magic had accepted the honour duel.

"How are you the Lady Potter?" asked Dumbledore curiously. "You two aren't married yet."

"Maybe not" said Harry quietly. "But I wanted her to take the mantle of Lady Potter, and the family magic accepted her. Your move, Albus."

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, my boy" said Dumbledore, sounding morose. "You killed Tom Riddle and his Death Eaters, without giving them a chance at redemption. Your death was supposed to redeem Tom, but you took the opportunity away from him, and now you're too dangerous to be left alive. Your death is essential for the greater good."

With that, the duel began. People all around scrambled to get out of the way as they saw spells flying everywhere, as Dumbledore advanced on the two teenagers. Harry grunted in pain as curses impacted him; he wasn't given time to heal. After all, the ritual did have its limitations and he was making sure Daphne was protected. The three of them exchanged fire for a few minutes, but unknown to Dumbledore, the power of the Elder Wand was weakening rapidly, the essence being transferred to Harry. Soon, Dumbledore was on the defensive as the other two upped their attack on him, pushing him back.

After a few minutes of rapid spell fire, Harry let a burst of lightning towards Dumbledore. Albus, who had seen from Harry and Voldemort's duel as to what would happen if he were to get caught, did his best to dodge it. Unfortunately, he wasn't facing one opponent, but two.

Just as Dumbledore dodged the lightning, a large tigress leapt into the air with claws extended. The tigress slashed her claws on Dumbledore's face and chest, making the older man scream in pain, as the wand he held in his hand flew high in the air, until Harry caught it with his right hand. The tigress stood on Dumbledore, looking at his blood soaked face and roared. The roar was so loud that it could be heard all the way in Hogsmeade.

The honour duel was complete. The large circle of blue flames disappeared, but no one moved. Albus Dumbledore was whimpering on the ground, his face covered in blood as a large tigress stood on his chest roaring loudly. Minerva McGonagall slowly came forward and looked at the tigress. She spotted deep blue eyes which could only belong to –

"Miss Greengrass?" she asked slowly.

The tigress looked at McGonagall and roared again; apparently, she was not happy to see McGonagall's face either. This was one of the problems with connecting to your inner animal; you tend to get absorbed into your animal form in case your emotions are so raw that they become primal. Once the merging process was done, the person's subconscious mind would start embracing the inner animal's personality as well. In this case, Daphne had let her emotions take control of her so much that she didn't want to change back. The boy she loved, her fiancé, the love of her life had been attacked and abused too much for her to handle, and Albus Dumbledore trying to kill him and her father was the last straw. She was crying for blood. She wanted vengeance for all that her fiancé had been through. She let out another primal roar of anger and agony.

Harry slowly approached the tigress. The tigress looked at him and roared in a threatening way and Harry wondered if Daphne had slipped so far into herself that she couldn't even recognise him.

"Daphne" said Harry slowly moving forward, limping. "It's me, Harry."

The tigress stopped roaring but looked at him with a strange expression. Harry inched forward, taking his as a positive sign and knelt before the tigress. Dumbledore was whimpering due to the pain, but he didn't care.

"Daphne, I'm alright now" said Harry softly. "Voldemort and his Death Eaters won't harm me anymore. The Dursleys won't harm me anymore. Dumbledore will be convicted by the Wizengamot and will receive punishment for his crimes. Your father will be okay; your mother and Madam Pomfrey will treat him. Please calm down, tigress. I love you Daphne and I know how much you love me too. Please, come back to me" pleaded Harry.

Tears leaked from the blue eyes of the tigress as she rubbed her face against Harry. He hugged the tigress, eliciting aws from many girls present. Many people, especially girls, had gained an immense respect and admiration for Daphne Greengrass. The way she fought for her beliefs and for her family; the way she defended her fiancé with everything she had and her undying love for him moved many people that day, not to mention her talent with a wand. She held her own while fighting Albus Dumbledore, who was considered by many as one of the strongest wizards alive. And shockingly, she was an animagus as well! An awesome and deadly tigress at that!

The tigress stepped off Dumbledore and transformed into Daphne. The stress of the day finally overpowered her and she fainted in Harry's arms. Just then Amelia came over after taking care of the scene at the graveyard.

"Sweet Merlin, what happened here?" she asked in surprise.

"Dumbledore attacked us" said Harry quietly. "He injured Sirius and Cyrus and they're in the hospital wing. Daphne declared an honour duel and we won. I formally file a complaint against Albus Dumbledore for the attempted murder of the Heads of the Houses of Potter, Black and Greengrass."

Amelia's fist tightened. She wished she could go to the hospital wing to check on her husband, but she had other things to do. She motioned for six Aurors to come forward, as she stood in front of Dumbledore.

"Are there any witnesses to this?" asked Amelia formally.

"Yes, Lady Black. I am willing to testify" said Professor Flitwick and the audience present roared in approval, signifying that they too would testify if necessary. Cornelius Fudge was pale and shaking badly. He just realised the ramifications of the actions and knew that he would be packing his bags to Azkaban soon.

"Albus Dumbledore, you are hereby under arrest under the authority of the Director of British Magical Law Enforcement for the attempted murder of Lords Potter, Black, Greengrass and Lady Daphne. You will be escorted to the Ministry and stand in judgment in front of the Wizengamot. Cuff him" said Amelia.

Dumbledore got up. He was filled with rage and the blood on his mutilated face and chest made it a gruelling sight. Daphne's claws had struck him directly on his face; he was blind in his right eye, it was difficult for him to speak and the pain from his injuries was unbearable, but he managed to, nevertheless.

"Ah, I thought we might hit this snag" said Dumbledore as he spat blood. "I believe you're under the delusion that I would, what is the phrase? Come quietly. I have no intention of coming quietly at all, Amelia. I could break out of Azkaban of course, but what a waste of time, really, and I could be doing a whole host of things instead."

Amelia discreetly looked at Harry who had a small smirk on his face. Just as Dumbledore turned on his heel to portkey out of the grounds while avoiding Amelia's stunner, to his immense shock, he was still there!

"That's my girl" said Harry, who was still kneeling on the ground, supporting an unconscious Daphne. "You see Dumbledore, while being just Lord Gryffindor or Lord Slytherin didn't give me much control over the castle, being Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin does. Daphne discreetly disabled the wards that would enable you to escape. You can't Apparate, you can't portkey, and you don't have a phoenix to help you anymore. What is your big plan now?" said Harry in a mocking voice.

Taking advantage of Dumbledore's shock, Amelia fired a stunner and binding charms on the man. The Aurors cuffed him with magic suppression shackles and took him away. Harry looked down at Daphne's beautiful face; she needed rest. He carried her bridal style and portkeyed to Potter Castle.

They had won.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 48**

 **Dumbledore chuckled again as he shook his head. "Is that your grand plan, Harry?" he asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "I'm disappointed. I expected something more cunning from you."**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Dumbledore is defeated! As you can see, while Dumbledore was winning the fight, he couldn't maintain it for long as the power of the Elder Wand came into effect. Harry could certainly hold his own, but with Dumbledore coming in full force, it would have been very difficult for Harry to defeat him; impossible even, considering his injuries and how exhausted he was after the duel with Voldemort and that's where the power of the Elder Wand helped him. Daphne was certainly no match for Dumbledore; nowhere close! But she took the momentary distraction and attacked. If you remember from my earlier chapters, she has done this to Harry as well.

As for Harry being worried about Dumbledore mentioning the Horcruxes, he should be because even if there is no soul piece lodged in his scar, Dumbledore could twist the facts of the case, especially considering the ritual to remove it was not done by a witch or wizard. Remember, House Elves are looked down upon by many families. Do you think they would believe it that those creatures could do something wizards couldn't? That's their arrogance again and you must remember that Dumbledore still thinks Harry's scar is a Horcrux.

As for the Honour Duel, it cannot be used all the time. As I have explained, even if one declares an honour duel, Magic has to accept it. It is nothing something anyone can do as there has to be a real reason for it. It is done to reclaim one's honour on behalf of himself or family. If you are wondering why they say that Harry killed the Death Eaters even though many were killed by Aquila, well, he is considered responsible for the actions of his familiar and he did kill a good number of them himself.

I deeply thank you all for your immense support in the form of your reviews and favourites in the last chapter. I really appreciate it and I'm glad you are all enjoying my story.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Reappearing with a flash of light in the entrance hall of Potter Castle, Harry slowly ascended the stairs, still carrying an unconscious Daphne bridal style. Once he reached the master bedroom, he went in and gently placed her on the large four poster bed. He frowned when he saw that he still had a wand in hand. He looked at it and he realised that the wand belonged to Dumbledore. Well, at least he could keep it as a token of what had happened tonight, considering he had destroyed Voldemort's wand. But what was surprising was how comfortable he was with using it. He flicked his wand and all of Daphne's clothes disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room. He carefully tucked her in and sat down next to her. He wasn't surprised that she had fallen unconscious, as it had been a very emotional day for them all. She was physically, emotionally and magically exhausted.

He gently kissed her forehead and left the room after changing clothes. He morphed into a boy having red hair and brown eyes and portkeyed to Hogwarts. Immediately, he made his way to the Hospital wing. As he entered, he morphed back to his normal self and spotted Elizabeth and Astoria sitting next to the unconscious forms of Cyrus Greengrass and Sirius Black.

"How are they?" he asked softly.

Elizabeth immediately went forward and engulfed him in a tight hug. Harry stiffened slightly, but relaxed.

"They'll be fine" said Elizabeth. "Madam Pomfrey and I healed them quickly, but since it was a dark cutting curse, it would take some time for them to recover. They'll have to be here for tonight, and it is better if they rest tomorrow as well. Where's Daphne?"

"She's in Potter Castle, asleep" said Harry softly. "She's exhausted, and after what happened, I don't blame her."

"What happened there, Harry?" asked Elizabeth, moving to scan him with her wand. "Tonight has been so messed up. Thank Merlin I left Dylan with my parents; I don't know how I could have handled it with him here as well."

Harry sighed and asked Toby for his Pensieve. Once done, he placed his memory of the honour duel in the Pensieve and motioned her to watch. Elizabeth and Astoria placed a finger into the Pensieve and they disappeared. Harry wouldn't have done it for anyone else, but this was his mother-in-law; she deserved to know how amazing her daughter was. Nobody knew about Daphne's animagus form until that evening as Harry had handled it himself in registering her at the ICW. It had been their last line of defence and the ability had come in handy tonight. Madam Pomfrey took that time to heal Harry from where Elizabeth had left off, muttering to herself about the constant danger.

"You'll need rest, Potter" she said, after healing him. "I've healed all the wounds. You're very lucky in that you had armour to protect you or it would have ended very badly for you. I suggest bed rest and maybe dreamless sleep potions as well. There is some dark magic residue on your body, but that is to be expected after such a duel. Take this potion for the next two days and get some rest."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey" he said quietly, as the healer left.

After she finished watching the memory, Elizabeth was shocked to stillness while Astoria was in awe of the display. "Merlin, I never knew that she was an animagus. Why didn't she tell us? I'm so proud of her; and I'm so proud of you too, Harry. You finally put an end to that monster. I just can't believe Dumbledore was willing to kill you" she said, shaking her head.

"Is Aunt Amy here?" asked Harry.

"She came for a few minutes to check up on Sirius, but she's gone to collect evidence for Dumbledore's trial" explained Elizabeth. "It'll take time before she comes back."

Harry nodded and left quietly. He needed some answers, and he knew the best person to give it to him.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore woke up with a groan. Even though he had been treated by a Healer, the pain caused by the sharp claws still hurt whenever even the slightest pressure was applied on his face and chest, and this made it worse for him to sleep. He couldn't believe what had happened. He had acted on impulse to defeat Harry, as he had grown too powerful. He had realised now that bringing back Tom was a waste of time and effort (he still didn't believe that all the Horcruxes were destroyed), so now, he had developed a new plan. He would appeal to the Wizengamot about how dangerous Harry was and use it to get the boy executed. He would reveal and explain about the soul piece in Harry's scar and that would make the public flock to him. After all, he would persuade them and make them see reason; what was one life as compared to the greater good? Harry had to be stopped before he destroyed the name of Albus Dumbledore. He had grown far too powerful; he was now the master of the Elder Wand . . .

Albus realised with a jolt that if Harry had indeed found the ring Horcrux, he had the Resurrection stone as well! Together with the cloak, Harry could become the Master of Death! No, that could not happen. Albus had dedicated his entire life to finding the Hallows, and they couldn't go to someone else. Ever since he had seen the memory of Bob Ogden, he had known that the Hallows could be reunited, as they were close. Once Harry was dead, the cloak would be his. But now, the priority was to make the Wizengamot see reason.

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning in front of him. Albus shielded his eyes and when he opened them again, he saw Harry Potter looking at him with a blank expression on his face. Albus peeped out of the cell to check if the guards had noticed anything, but to his disappointment, the guards weren't there!

"If you're looking for the guards, don't bother" said Harry quietly. "They're asleep at the moment. Once I'm done with you, they won't remember that someone stunned them and later obliviated them."

"Hello, Harry" said Albus with a smile. "Interesting form of Apparition; I wonder how you got through the wards around this place."

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out" said Harry smirking slightly, as Aquila screeched in the sky above London. "How are you enjoying your accommodation Albus?" he asked in mock concern. "Can I get you something? Some food, perhaps? Or are you eager to get your face scratched again? I may not have tiger claws, but my talons are very lethal as well."

"You have grown so dark, Harry" said Dumbledore, shaking his head. "Don't you feel any remorse for your actions? You caused the deaths of twenty-six people tonight. None of them will be able to repent for their actions. Tom was supposed to be the next leader of the light! All this time I was trying to bring him back to the light and you destroyed that opportunity!"

"You were trying to redeem _Voldemort_?" asked Harry in disbelief. "Albus, how stupid are you? He has murdered several _hundreds_ of witches and wizards, ripped apart thousands of families and destroyed entire pureblood lines and you think a simple apology to the public will set things straight just because you say so? Are you really that insane?"

"You have to be stopped, Harry" said Dumbledore calmly. "You've taken a dark path, and as the leader of the light, it is up to me to stop you -"

"You believe that I've become dark, but you can't see the darkness of the so-called Dark Lord Voldemort?" asked Harry in anger.

"You're too dangerous to be left alive" said Dumbledore.

"What is the real reason you want me dead?" asked Harry in a quiet, deadly voice.

"You are a Horcrux, Harry" said Dumbledore smiling faintly. "I scanned you once Hagrid brought you to me in 1981. Everyone knows that you're a metamorphmagus, so I can very easily convince the Wizengamot that you're hiding the scar. Voldemort cannot be killed unless you are dead as well. The public will soon be demanding that you be executed."

"You're absolutely right about the scar Horcrux, Albus" said Harry smiling, removing the smile on Dumbledore's face. "But your mistake was that you scanned me when I was a year old, but not after. The Horcrux in my scar was destroyed when I was seven years old."

"Impossible" declared Dumbledore flatly. "There is no way a Horcrux can be destroyed without destroying the vessel."

"Ordinarily, you would be right" said Harry smirking. "But when my dear thunderbird familiar rescued me after Uncle Vernon stabbed me, my elves used their brand of magic to heal me, and that's when they discovered the soul piece. You never thought about the magic of other creatures like Goblins or House elves, did you, Albus? That's your wizarding arrogance again, blinding you to what is out there. My elves performed an elvin ritual and removed the soul piece and destroyed it. It has been destroyed for eight years now."

"No. You're lying" said Dumbledore, his eyes narrowed.

Albus watched as Harry flicked his wand to conjure a red and silver coloured royal looking very comfortable arm chair. He observed that Harry still used his Yew and nundu heartstring wand and hope welled in him. Maybe Harry hadn't taken the Elder wand? If he really was the master of the wand, why hadn't the merging process started?

"I'm not lying, Albus. Now, what to do with you?" asked Harry lightly. "Didn't I tell you, Albus? Didn't I tell you that your pawn would one day remove you from the board? Both the light and dark kings are out, and I'm in. In a few years, the initial stages of my grand plan can take shape, beginning a new era for the Magical world. You are nothing but a hindrance in my larger plan. But coming back to you; you're the bane of my existence. You're as responsible for my parents' deaths as Voldemort. You sent my beloved godfather to prison and made him suffer for ten years. You made me suffer so much at the hands of the Dursleys, and now . . ."

Harry came close to Albus, his face just inches from the older man as he looked into his eyes. Albus could see the green eyes were glowing with power; lightning bolts could be seen in them.

"And now, you tried to kill my father-in-law and my godfather" said Harry in a cold voice. "You tried to take Sirius away from me again. He is the closest thing to a father to me and you tried to separate us. Sirius is very dear to me and you tried to kill him."

"What's more" he said, taking Dumbledore's hair and yanking it, making the old man wince. "You also tried to kill Daphne tonight. Let me make one thing clear, Dumbledore. There is _nothing_ more important to me than Daphne. She is my life; she is my very soul. I am nothing without her, and you tried to take her away from me. If you had landed even a scratch on her, let me tell you, I wouldn't be so calm right now. I would have ripped you apart and fed you to dragons. Nobody messes with the Potter family and gets away with it. There is a reason we have survived for so long, and did you think you or anybody else could end us so easily? We were born to conquer, you moron. I am Hadrian James Potter; did you think you could defeat me so easily?" said Harry in a dangerous voice.

"How are you so knowledgeable?" asked Dumbledore with a wince. "You're barely fifteen years old."

Harry smirked. "Well, I'll have to thank Tommy boy for that, really. I might have been born powerful and with a natural talent for magic, especially the mind arts, but when the Horcrux was removed, I gained all his memories. It took a lot of time and effort to access them and learn from his memories, but I was eventually able to do it. Along with that, I extensively studied and practiced for years, just for this moment. I knew that I had a lot of enemies, so I rigorously trained under Alastor Moody as well. And I will continue to train in the years to come. I've struggled to get where I am, Albus. I've worked really hard for it. But if you're talking about my affiliation to lightning, well, that's something I was gifted with."

"Now" said Harry. "Do I find out your secrets and destroy your mind, leaving a drooling mess of a wizard behind, or do I let you spill all your secrets to the world in a couple of days?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Do you really think you have what it takes to use Legilimency on me, Harry? I'm more than hundred years older and experienced than you are. Your threats are no good here. Besides, how do you expect me to spill my secrets, as you put it? My Occlumency is still excellent, so Veritaserum won't work as well as it should. I will always win, Harry. You should know this by now. I am Albus Dumbledore. Did you think you will be able to defeat me so easily?" he asked with a glint in his eye, throwing Harry's words back at him.

Harry smirked. "Oh, my dear Albus" purred Harry. "You really think I'm that stupid? You're forgetting that I'm not the reckless Gryffindor whom you wanted as a pawn, Albus. I'm a self-made Ravenclaw with brains. I've brought a few trinkets to make you loosen your tongue. They may not have worked were you at Hogwarts and had access to your wand and magic, but since you are currently powerless, my plan would work."

Harry removed a tiny bottle full of golden liquid. Dumbledore's eyes went wide as realisation dawned on him. Harry chuckled and said "Did you think that I'm an amateur brewer? I brewed this potion myself, and had I revealed it, I would have earned my Mastery in Potions thanks to this and the Gillyweed potion Daphne and I invented. Oh, don't worry, Albus. I won't be using the Felix Felicis today. This is for the Wizengamot session when you are being tried in front of the whole country. I'm not an idiot to use this potion repeatedly; I know the dangers of taking it, but I'm willing to risk my physical and mental health for those crucial few hours. I didn't even use it today, even though I know that I would be fighting for my life. Luck cannot alter destiny. No, what I'm going to use now is this."

With that, Harry removed another small bottle. "Highly concentrated Malaclaw venom" declared Harry. "Once you ingest it, you'll be horribly unlucky for more than a week. I have to say, I'm not sure what would happen if I inject you with this dosage; hopefully, the excess amount in your bloodstream doesn't cause your death. Anyway, this will ensure that the trial goes according to plan" he said.

Dumbledore chuckled again as he shook his head. "Is that your grand plan Harry?" he asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "I'm disappointed. I expected something more cunning from you. While luck will be on your side, it still won't be enough to -"

"But wait! I have more" said Harry, interrupting Dumbledore. He removed a small bottle containing a clear liquid. "While only three drops of Veritaserum can be used legally due its dangerous properties on the brain of a witch or wizard, I don't particularly care what happens to you. I'll be administrating six drops tonight, so when the trial is held in two days, you'll do your best to answer truthfully. No one will realise that you are under the after effects of the serum during the trial. You'll be too confused after I'm done with you tonight to counter the serum. Do you like it? While Veritaserum questioning is not an end, it definitely is a means to an end, considering all the other evidence we have uncovered" said Harry coldly.

"And for breaking through your Occlumency shields, I could do it right now without any help" said Harry. "But it would be forced, as I would have to blast your mental shields apart, and that wouldn't work for me considering that you are an outstanding Occlumens. If something happens to you, the public will realise that I might be behind it, and I can't let that happen, can I? So, I'll be administering you the Draught of Living Death, and once you're as good as dead, I'll look through your mind as much as I want, gaining all your secrets and knowledge. I'll also be using compulsions and confundus charms to ensure that the trial goes according to plan. As I said, since you are defenceless, it would work." he said.

"Why, Harry?" asked Dumbledore, finally realising that Harry had indeed cornered him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" whispered Harry. "You dare ask me why? It's because you're a fucking selfish, delusional, insane, narcissistic, meddlesome old bastard! How many lives have you ruined because of your megalomania? Wanting to be powerful is a worthy objective; acquiring knowledge and being very intelligent is a worthy objective, but their pursuits obviously haven't elevated you. _Those in power have a responsibility to others!_ You were the Transfiguration teacher and later Headmaster of Hogwarts; you controlled the development of thousands of young witches and wizards. What did you do to improve the mentality of the younger generation so that the magical world could prosper? Did you employ more teachers and introduce new subjects? No. You let it be, building and feasting on the sheep mentality that you introduced to them until no one could even _think_ for themselves without seeking out Albus Dumbledore for anything. You were the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot; did you ensure that justice was upheld and laws regarding the rights of magical creatures were brought in? Did you ever think about the orphans during the war? No. You let all those Death Eaters walk free while you and Crouch mercilessly threw innocent people in Azkaban without mercy. You were elected as the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, but I get that you were only there for a few months before I ensured that you were booted out as you lost your seat on the ICW after the Wizengamot ruled upon it, but you did have a seat there for several years. In short, you were one powerful man with _worldwide influe_ nce after defeating Gellert Grindelwald. What did you do to help the magical world with that power? Nothing!" said Harry heatedly.

"Speaking of Gellert Grindelwald, I found a few special things regarding your relationship with the man" said Harry smirking. "So, the phrase 'For the Greater Good' was coined by you wasn't it? Very useful having people dig up useful stuff about your past, Albus. I found out about your sister's death as well. Even though I got reports about her being a squib, I figured out what had happened. Squibs are ridiculously rare, so there must have been something else. Godric's Hollow also has muggles; they destroyed your sister, didn't they? Wasn't that why your father was sent to Azkaban? For attacking those filthy muggles who did that to Araina? And you blame _me_ for hating muggles? Your actions could have turned me into exactly what happened to your sister or worse, I might have turned into an Obscurial! Imagine the damage that would have caused! Back on topic, you knew about Grindelwald, and yet you didn't do anything. Why? I'm really not sure. But you waited until 1945, until people were literally on their knees begging you to do something until you finally stepped in. Why did you fucking wait till then? You weren't like anyone else; you knew how powerful you were. But you didn't care. How many lives were lost because you sat on your arse?" asked Harry in distaste.

"Did I do the same thing? I was seven years old when I realised that I had to face a whole bunch of Death Eaters and probably Voldemort himself someday. I trained relentlessly so that I could face him one day. I could have very easily run away; I'm a partial metamorphmagus, so it would have been easy to say that the Boy Who Lived is dead and use it to disappear abroad. But I didn't do that. How much damage and destruction have you caused? How many families have you ripped apart for your GREATER GOOD?" said Harry, firing a burst of lightning at the old man.

"What's more" said Harry in a deadly voice. "You also tried to redeem Voldemort because _you thought you were responsible for Riddle turning evil,_ am I right? You refused to let him stay at Hogwarts during the summer, until Riddle's last year where he directly approached Headmaster Dippet. You thought that it was best that Riddle stayed in the muggle world, hoping that the boy would realise that muggles were good as well and not listen to the pureblood ideals. But that was your undoing, wasn't it? I've seen his memories Albus and trust me; the atrocities committed by Tom Riddle were _terrible_. You didn't even have a considerable impact on him turning out to be evil as he already was. The Gaunts were such an unstable family that it was passed on to him in blood and his hatred of muggles at the orphanage didn't help matters any. Instead of putting down that man like a rabid dog, you let thousands be killed while you spent your time in trying to _redeem_ him, just to soothe your conscience. You couldn't handle it after what happened to your sister, could you? You really are the most selfish bastard I've ever met!"

Harry breathed deeply as he looked at the shaking man in front of him with distaste. "I'm not here to torture you or kill you. I'm here solely to find answers and to ensure that the trial goes according to plan. Good night, Albus. I'll see you in the Wizengamot chambers soon" he said and stunned the man.

He removed the different potions he needed to use. This would take a while.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was nearly 5 AM when an exhausted Harry came back to Potter Castle. He had found some useful things while going through Dumbledore's memories, but most of it just confirmed what he had always suspected; like the fact the Dumbledore did truly leak the prophecy to kill his parents. It had taken a lot of time to organise the old man's thoughts the way Harry wanted, so he was exhausted. But he had also found something odd while going through his memories. It mentioned the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility, from the story of the three brothers which he had read when he was a child. Dumbledore's memories had mentioned the Deathly Hallows and the Master of Death. He would have to look into that later, but right now, he was exhausted.

He entered his room and found Daphne still asleep peacefully. He quickly stripped naked and got under the covers of the bed. He put an arm around Daphne, spooning her. He smiled as he felt her soft, warm skin touch his body. He couldn't think of a better place to be right now rather than be here with Daphne, hugging her close. He pushed her hair away from his face and moved closer to her. Hugging her, with one hand cupping her breast, he gently kissed the back of her shoulder and closed his eyes as exhaustion and sleep caught up to him.

Daphne smiled as she snuggled deeper into his hold, placing her hand on his. She never truly felt at home unless Harry was there with her.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was nearly noon when Harry woke up. He could feel Daphne's body pressing against him, so he knew that she was still there as well, so he gently placed kisses on her shoulder and neck, finally nibbling on her earlobe.

Daphne turned to look at him. They both looked deep into each other's eyes and could see the intense emotions shining through them. They could feel the other's intense and immense love they had for the other. With every passing moment, they could feel their need growing.

Harry leaned forward and captured Daphne's lips and kissed her softly and deeply. The incident last night had firmly cemented the bond between them, sealing them forever. The two main people who could rip them apart were no longer a threat, and that removed the last vestiges of fear they both had that they would lose the other.

Harry moved down from her lips and kissed her jaw, earning a moan from Daphne. He kissed her again, as his hands worked on her breasts. He went down and kissed her neck and moved down further to kiss her breasts, his fingers moving between Daphne's legs, making her moan in pleasure as she squeezed his arse.

"Harry" gasped Daphne. "Let's do it. I'm ready."

Harry slowly kissed her body until he was nibbling on her earlobe again. "Are you sure?" he whispered, kissing her ear. "I don't mind waiting."

"No" said Daphne, breathing hard as his fingers between her legs caressed a sensitive spot inside her, making her squirm in intense pleasure. "I don't want to wait a moment longer. I've taken the contraceptive potion, so don't bother with the charm. Make love to me, Harry. I want you to know just how deeply I love you" she said.

"I love you too, Daphne" breathed Harry, as he leaned down to kiss her again.

They soon gave into their love for each other, lost in ecstasy.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Daphne slowly opened her eyes to find herself engulfed warmly in her fiancé's arms. Her face was buried in his firm chest, but from the amount of light entering the enormous master bedroom, she would have to guess that it was nearly sundown. She looked up at Harry's face and couldn't help but smile.

She and Harry had finally made love for the first time, and it couldn't have been better. She remembered four years ago when she met him on the train. That tall, very good-looking boy was her fiancé, but she had been quite upset to learn about that fact. But now, she couldn't even imagine living her life without him. She couldn't sleep without him next to her, and she idly wondered if she would ever return to the Slytherin dorms for the next three years at Hogwarts.

No. She would go to bed with Harry every night and damn the inconvenience. Her heart filled with emotion and her eyes watered as she looked at the peaceful face of Harry, who had a small smile on his face as well. Oh, did he have any idea how much she loved him? She didn't even know how their deep bond had come to be. All she knew was that they absolutely loved and adored the other. She smirked and giggled slightly as she recalled in detail what they had done a few hours back. If that was any indication, she was going to have a very satisfying life in bed indeed.

She felt Harry stir, so she started placing light kisses on his chest and neck and pushed him on his back.

"Hello to you, tigress" said Harry sleepily, as he watched Daphne climb on top of him.

Daphne giggled and kissed him sensually. "You're in a good mood" she observed.

Harry grinned. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked and playfully slapped her arse. "Speaking of tigress, are you okay?" he asked in seriousness.

Daphne smiled. Leave it to Harry to be always worried about her. "I'm fine" she whispered, trailing his face with kisses. "When Dumbledore attacked, I just lost it and let my emotions get the best of me. But you managed to calm me down like you always do. Harry, I'm so proud of you. You defeated both the bastards who ruined your life. I saw the way you duelled Voldemort, and you were amazing! Trust me, that duel is for the history books. Since the entire duel was recorded, it can be shown over and over again to different people. You're a hero to all, Harry, and I can't tell you how immensely proud of you I am" said Daphne softly, looking into his eyes.

Harry blushed brightly. He hugged her close, their chests pressing against each other as he whispered "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. You're my life, Daphne. Without your love and support, I would have died last night as I would have had nothing to fight for. You were the strongest motivating factor for me, and that's what kept me going. You were amazing as well last night and thank you for everything you have done for me. The honour duel you declared just proved to me that I did the right thing in asking you to take the mantle of Lady Potter. I love you Daph, and I thank Merlin every day that you came into my life" he said, and pushed her back, rolling on top of her, kissing her again.

Daphne smiled into the kiss and slapped his bare arse playfully. She forcefully pushed him on his back and got on top of him again.

"Oh, so tigress is back, huh?" said Harry, as Daphne wiggled her bum on his erection.

"Oh yes" said Daphne as they wrestled on the bed. Harry laughed as Daphne pushed him on his back again, pinning him with her hands.

"You did all the work the last time" she said forcefully, kissing him hard. "Now, it's my turn."

Harry smiled as Daphne kissed his neck and chest, making her way down to his erect penis, looking at it with lust in her eyes.

"What tigress wants, tigress gets" moaned Harry, as Daphne began pleasuring him.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 49**

 **"** **Chief Witch if I may?" asked Daphne softly, standing up. Everyone looked at her in surprise, as they never expected her to say anything.**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** I'm not really sure about Grindelwald's ideology, but I don't think it had anything to do with pureblood propaganda. It was more about wizards ruling and subjugating muggles, wasn't it? From what we see in Fantastic Beasts, he doesn't seem like Voldemort. For one, he isn't insane, but from what we know from the books, the death toll was high during the Great War. In Book 7, when Harry talks to Dumbledore, the old man said "-it would have been too shameful to resist any longer. People were dying and he seemed unstoppable, so I had to do what I could." Don't get me wrong, going there and fighting Grindelwald was something great. Dumbledore was a great man to do so, but he himself says that he was a coward to have waited so long, knowing that he had the power to defeat him until he realised that the destruction was unacceptable.

This is why I made this situation where he believes he is responsible for Tom Riddle turning out to be so bad; it reminded him of how he failed his sister. He couldn't handle it again, so he did his best to redeem Voldemort. How did it matter if others died as long as he wasn't responsible for Riddle turning out to be so evil? If he made the man feel guilty and stop it, he would have soothed his conscience. Dumbledore is a really complex character. On one hand, you can say he is evil, but at the same time, he isn't. He is selfish and is striving for one goal since he met Grindelwald, the one goal they both shared – Master of Death.

Thank you for your reviews!


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

While Harry and Daphne were basking in their love for each other, the rest of the country was celebrating over the death of Voldemort and outrage at Dumbledore for trying to kill the Boy Who Lived. Celebrations were taking place on a large scale, making the Obliviators work overtime in covering it up. All around the world, millions of witches and wizards were in awe as they watched the duel between Harry and Voldemort over and over again. People couldn't help but be astounded that a mere school boy who was barely fifteen years old could defeat someone so powerful. They were enthralled by the one hundred foot tall thunderbird Harry had created out of lightning, which made them remember what the Sphinx had called Harry during the third task – the Lightning Lord.

Cyrus and Elizabeth Greengrass were in their bedroom, with Dylan playing with his toys on the bed. Astoria had remained at Hogwarts, telling them that she would come back after in the train along with her friends in a couple of days. They were worried about Daphne, but when they mirror called Harry, he didn't answer, and when he used the floo, an elf had told him that Master Hadrian and Miss Daphne were asleep.

Cyrus waved his hand at the e-mirror and the channel of the Magical Daily News appeared.

" _This is truly a day for celebration, Ladies and Gentlemen_ " said the reporter. " _The Dark Lord Tom Marvolo Riddle, known better as Voldemort is no more. This has been confirmed by the Director of Magical Law Enforcement Lady Amelia Black. She said that she had been working with Lord Hadrian Potter for more than a year in bringing him down, so when Lord Potter killed him last night, he really did die. He has been officially declared dead."_

 _"_ _It is not known how Tom Riddle cheated death, but whatever it was, Director Black isn't saying what it is. But what we can speculate is it that it must have been something truly horrifying, which defies the fundamental laws of magic. And it seems it really doesn't work as well as it should, as Lord Potter was able to destroy whatever was holding Riddle in this world, finally killing him and fulfilling the terms of a prophecy which was revealed last night."_

The reporter continued. " _What happened last night was an attempt on the life of Lord Hadrian James Potter, the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, and newly revealed Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Lord Potter was kidnapped once he touched the Triwizard Cup in the maze of the third task, and was transported to a graveyard where Tom Riddle was resurrected by his loyal Death Eaters."_

 _"_ _Fortunately, due to the crystal that was following Lord Potter, we were all able to see what was happening. Director Black revealed later that they had placed a tracking charm on Lord Potter because they were worried about such an attempt, but the charm was nullified due to the highly extensive and illegal wards placed around the graveyard by the Death Eaters. At that moment, Daphne Greengrass, eldest daughter of Lord Cyrus and Lady Elizabeth Greengrass of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, and newly revealed Lady Potter, disappeared for a while and came back with a sheet of parchment which showed the coordinates of where her fiancé was being held. It is speculated that she used a Potter family tracking device to find him."_

 _"_ _DMLE Director Amelia Black, Lord Sirius Black and a team of Aurors and Curse Breakers worked tirelessly for more than half an hour to bring down the wards, braving nature's fury. When Lord Potter started duelling Tom Riddle, he revealed that he was Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin. It had been revealed by the Magical Daily Press two years ago that Godric Gryffindor's only daughter married into the Potter family, so it is not very surprising that Lord Potter managed to acquire the Headship of the family which was long thought to be extinct. But what was surprising was that he revealed that he was the blood descendant of the other Hogwarts founder, Salazar Slytherin!"_

 _"_ _He said that his mother Lily Potter nee Evans was the true descendant of Salazar Slytherin and that Tom Riddle was actually the descendant of the founder's adopted son, Salazar Slytherin Jr. He said that it was Salazar Jr who terrorised the people of the era, not the founder."_

 _"_ _The duel that followed was something which nobody had ever seen before. It even outstripped the duel between Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore, making it the longest and most deadly duel between two wizards in modern magical history. When Tom Riddle created a basilisk made of Fiendfyre, Lord Potter created a thunderbird made of lightning, which was a hundred feet in height! That spectacle has become legendary, giving Lord Hadrian Potter the title of 'Lightning Lord', along with many others. His famous thunderbird familiar 'Aquila' appeared at the scene and helped in taking care of the Death Eaters, who too were hell bent on killing the Boy Who Lived."_

 _"_ _When Lord Potter finally beheaded Tom Riddle with the Sword of Gryffindor, there was much happiness by people all over the country. Tom Riddle had been the cause of the deaths of several hundred witches and wizards of Britain, tearing apart thousands of families in the process, so it is a relief that he is truly dead and gone before he could start another war that would surely have wiped us all out."_

 _"_ _But it seems the celebration was not to last, as when Lord Potter came back to Hogwarts, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge ordered the Aurors to arrest him, citing that Lord Potter had 'killed purebloods who were upstanding members of the country'. Considering that more than half of them were wanted for questioning regarding the Dolores Umbridge trial, we can't understand what Minister Fudge meant when he said that they were upstanding members."_

 _"_ _But that's when Albus Dumbledore decided that Lord Potter had to surrender for causing the deaths of those Death Eaters and Tom Riddle. From watching what happened, it seems Dumbledore had this grand plan where he would reform the Dark Lord Tom Riddle after the latter killed the young Lord Potter. Dumbledore then attacked him, grievously injuring Lords Black and Greengrass in the process, who were immediately taken for treatment in order to save their lives. But in that time, it seems Daphne Greengrass had declared an honour duel."_

 _"_ _A ring of fire surrounded the Albus Dumbledore and Lord and Lady Potter, and after announcing what Dumbledore had done to the Potter family, Lady Daphne, the newly revealed Lady Potter took her oath, and Magic accepted it, turning the fire around them blue. The next several minutes were spent in rapid spell fire, as the two parties duelled against each other until finally Lady Potter turned into a tigress and attacked Albus Dumbledore, defeating him."_

 _"_ _It is unknown how Lord and Lady Potter are animagi, but people are very impressed that they were able to achieve the transformation so young. Lord Potter takes the form of a golden eagle while Lady Potter takes the form of a Siberian tigress. Once she turned back, Daphne Greengrass promptly fainted in the arms of her fiancé, while Albus Dumbledore was arrested by Director Amelia Black. Lady Daphne has greatly inspired awe in the younger generation, especially girls with her immense dedication and love shown towards her fiancé, not to mention her talent in magic."_

 _"_ _The trial of Albus Dumbledore will be held tomorrow, where everyone is said to find out the true extent of his crimes. In the meantime, let us celebrate the defeat of the most notorious Dark Lord in British history, defeated by the Boy Who Lived, or who is now known as the Lightning Lord. This is Steve Green, reporting for the Magical Daily News."_

"I just don't believe it" muttered Cyrus. "I have never heard of a phenomenon where a woman is a Lady of a House when the couple haven't married yet. Amazing."

"I wonder if she and Harry are okay" said Elizabeth concerned.

"Their elf told me that they're still asleep" said Cyrus, his eyes narrowed. "She has hidden a lot of secrets from us, Lizzie. I don't like it. Why didn't she tell us about her being an animagus? It's not like we wouldn't have been proud of her! It's an amazing achievement. We're her parents for Merlin's sake!"

"Yes, I'm upset about that too" said Elizabeth softly. "But I realised something last night. She isn't just our daughter. She is also the Lady of House Potter and we know what that means."

Cyrus sighed. The Potter family were notorious for being highly secretive. No one could ever breach them to uncover their secrets, which was why they were considered quite mysterious.

"Still" muttered Cyrus "She could have told us something. I didn't push for that prophecy part as I knew that Harry had his secrets and I couldn't demand them. But this is Daphne, our own daughter. She's only fifteen! Why did they have to hide it from us? She didn't even tell us about being Lady Potter. I'm hurt by her behaviour, Lizzie."

"She probably has a reason for it" said Elizabeth, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "We'll talk to her later, okay?"

Cyrus nodded in resignation and sighed. Elizabeth smirked. "Dylan, daddy seems to be upset. Why don't you go play with him? It'll make him happy" she said softly, tickling the one-year-old baby, making him giggle.

"Dada!" said Dylan, crawling over to his father. "a'ppy!"

Cyrus smiled as he picked up his infant son. He shook his head. He didn't have to worry too much; Daphne would come and explain it to them. She had always acted in a mature manner and this would be no different, but that didn't make him stop being worried about her. He just wanted both his daughters back home soon. It had been one messed up year.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

The early next morning, Harry got up to find that Daphne wasn't in bed with him. He closed his eyes and the wards informed him that she was outside, on the grounds. He immediately got up, wore a pair of boxers and jumped out of the balcony and transformed into an eagle. He flew for a minute until he found her. He landed and transformed back.

"It really is peaceful here isn't it?" said Harry with a smile.

There were sitting on a bench overlooking a large step fountain. The grounds of Potter Castle were covered with fountains of every shape and variety, as the Head of the Potter family a few hundred years back had done it for his wife who loved the sound of water. Besides, the view was spectacular. Harry's favourite was the large fountain right in front of the front steps of the castle, which had a moving Potter Crest carved out of marble, with several other statues of creatures present as well.

"Yeah, it is" said Daphne quietly.

Harry frowned slightly. Because of the sheer amount of time they spent with the other, coupled with the fact that they practically lived together at Hogwarts for the past several months, Harry and Daphne had come to understand the other's moods and emotions better. So Harry knew that something was troubling her.

"What wrong?" he asked softly.

Daphne didn't answer, and Harry was getting worried. Had he done something wrong? Was she mad at him? Sure, they fought occasionally like any other couple, but he couldn't think of anything he had done which would make her mad at him now.

"You've applied for the Gryffindor and Slytherin Lordships to the Wizengamot Administration Services, haven't you?" asked Daphne, still staring at the water fountain.

"Yes" said Harry slowly, drawing out the word. "I went there late yesterday evening and got the approval as well. They had Unspeakables from the Department of Mysteries check if the family rings were indeed authentic and not fake, and once done, they had no reason not to give me the seats. They were quite happy about it, truthfully. I've made Sirius the Regent for House Gryffindor and your father for House Slytherin. But you know all this, as I told you last night."

When she didn't answer, Harry cupped her face and made her face him. "Daphne what's the matter with you?" he asked.

Daphne slowly removed his hand from her face, much to Harry's shock.

"I never thought about this before" said Daphne, still not looking at Harry. "But it is very rare for Noble families to pass on the title to someone else. That's why my situation was so unique before Dylan was born, and Susan is still the heiress of her family. Multiple Lordships, especially three Most Ancient and Noble Houses have never been heard of before, as even if people knew that they were related from one, they couldn't access the Headship of the family. That's why you were so thoroughly screened by the Unspeakables; it was because no one wanted to let someone fake their way into the Wizengamot."

Harry frowned, as he already knew about this.

"Three Lordships will being in a lot of support for you in the Wizengamot and from the public" continued Daphne in the same flat voice. "But you also need to continue the lines. People will take advantage of our family so that they can get access to the immense wealth and power which is brought by the three Lordships. People will want their families to control the Potter family, thus increasing their own standing."

"I don't know where you're going with this" said Harry confused. "I won't let myself be tricked by anyone like that."

"That's not what I meant" said Daphne softly. "You cannot be tricked. But that doesn't mean our children would be the same. Being a girl who bears the title of Heiress brings about a tremendous amount of attention. Susan was already friendly with Neville since the time they were kids; both families had already been wondering if there could be a possible marriage between them in the future. But before I knew about our marriage contract, I was under a lot of pressure. My dad isn't like Lucius Malfoy. He deeply loves his daughters and didn't really care that he didn't have a son. While such things are very uncommon in the Magical world, in Noble families, it is essential that a male child is born so that he can carry on the name and titles. Being a girl who has that responsibly will bring other families to the forefront, trying their best to snatch her up. And that's what is going to happen in the future with us as well."

Harry still looked confused. "Alright, I understand that. Is that why you're upset? Daphne, if I ever have an issue with that, I can always talk to Cyrus. Who better to coach me about such matters than a man who has been through it himself? Besides, we're talking about something that is years in the future. I really doubt that we would even try for children until we're twenty-five, which is ten years in the future. Why are you bringing it up now?" he asked.

Daphne steeled herself as tears welled in her eyes. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm telling you this because it will give time for you to find two more wives."

" _Excuse me?_ " asked Harry in shock, and he reared back as if he had been slapped.

"If we have only daughters like how my parents did, I don't want them to go through what I did for so many years until I found out about the contract" said Daphne. "I don't want them to suffer through a loveless marriage just because of family titles and politics which happens in Noble families."

"You think I would do something like that?" asked Harry angrily.

"No" said Daphne softly. "I know for sure that you won't. But love is blind Harry. Anyone can take advantage of our future daughter and use it as a means to get the family titles and fortune. Why, Ginny Weasley herself wants to marry you only for your fame and money, does she not? So do all your Boy Who Lived fan girls, and after what happened on the 24th, nearly every other girl as well."

When Harry opened his mouth, Daphne beat him to it. "So, I've come to a decision. Carrying on the family lines is important, and since the three families are all so powerful and wealthy, you might have to marry two other girls so that you can without a doubt pass on the titles. I don't mind you doing that" she said with silent tears flowing down her face. She tried to smile with reassurance but failed miserably. "My parents have always taught me to do what is important for the family, and if that means me sacrificing some time with you and sharing you with two other women, I can handle that. What I'm trying to say is that should you marry two others, I'm fine with it. I, I -"

She couldn't continue as she suddenly started crying inconsolably. Harry immediately grabbed her and pulled her to his chest, hugging her tightly as Daphne sobbed her heart out, releasing all the pent up frustration and fear inside her. A lone tear slipped down Harry's pale cheek as he slowly rubbed her back, making soothing sounds to calm her down.

It took several minutes for Daphne to calm down, and finally, she silently hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. Harry slowly pulled her away and cupped her face with both hands, but she refused to meet his eyes. He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears.

"I'm never going to marry anyone else" said Harry softly, but firmly. "Please understand that, Daphne. I don't ever want you to have that doubt in your mind. You're my life, Daphne. You're my very soul. How can I marry someone else when my heart and soul already belong to you? After everything we have faced together, do you think I would let anyone come between us? I would gladly give up the Gryffindor and Slytherin titles should they interfere with us. Yes, I would" he said, taking in the shocked expression on her face. "You're more important to me than any of this. I've said this before; what is the point of so much wealth and power if the girl I'm so madly in love with is unhappy? You don't ever have to worry about you sharing me with some other woman, Daphne, because I can readily promise you that it will never, ever happen. You are the only one for me and there is no disputing that. If there are others who think they can get married to me because I have two extra titles, I don't fucking give a damn. Everyone has seen how deeply we love each other, and nothing is going to change that."

"As for us not having a male heir in the future" said Harry interrupting Daphne, "I don't care. I would be just as happy if I had a daughter as I would if I had a son. You don't understand; discrimination between men and women while unheard of in the magical world isn't the same in the muggle world. I've seen it, and I know what it's like and there is no way I would introduce such disgusting thoughts into our society because of this. Besides," he said with a small smile on his face. "Can any daughter of the Ice Queen of Slytherin be tricked by someone, just to get their hands on her money?" he asked, making Daphne chuckle slightly. "If we don't have boys, we can always blood adopt orphans if that's what you want. Don't be so discouraged, Daphne. We'll figure it out. And don't ever think that I will marry other girls just for them bearing my children. I'm not that immoral and disgusting, you know."

Daphne buried her face in his chest again. "I'm sorry" she murmured as more tears flowed down her face. She couldn't believe he had just said that. Any other boy would have jumped at the opportunity of having a harem, but he chose to remain faithful to her. This was the reason she admired him so much. He had a heart of gold.

Harry smiled and made her sit on his lap, hugging her tightly. They sat there in silence, listening to the sounds made by the water fountain, soothing their volatile emotions.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Draco Malfoy was sleeping on his bed in the Slytherin dorms, looking at the top of his four poster bed, still in shock at the fact that he was now an orphan. He had always laughed at Potter because he had no parents, and now, he didn't have parents himself. There was no one on his father's side of the family (they had all killed each other in a bid for power), and the only people on his mother's side were Andromeda Tonks and Sirius Black. He didn't like asking either of them for help. Andromeda was a blood traitor (never mind that she was brought back into the Black family and wasn't considered a blood traitor anymore) and there was no way was he going to live with Potter's godfather.

It was a shock to him that both his parents had been killed in the fight between Potter and the Dark Lord. He knew that his parents supported the Dark Lord of course, but he never thought that it could get them killed! Potter was only a filthy half-blood, while he and his parents were purebloods! They were superior! How dare that bastard kill his parents? He would have to go to Gringotts and claim the Headship of his family and become emancipated before Wizarding Children Services knocked on his door.

Whatever happens, he would make Potter _pay._

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Theodore Nott shook his head and moved to his bed. It wasn't difficult to realise that Draco Malfoy was planning some sort of revenge on Potter. Theo wasn't so stupid. He knew that his father had brought it upon himself. His mother had raised him to be practical, and he knew what his father was. He really couldn't bring himself to blame Potter, as he was only trying to save his own skin. Besides, from what he had experienced from his home life, Nott Sr wouldn't be missed too terribly. Theo and his sister were raised solely by their mother, while their father hadn't bothered with them too much, so Theo rarely interacted with him. At least now, he wouldn't have to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Death Eater. If the Dark Lord had returned and he had refused, the Dark Lord would have taken it as an insult that he had not joined and tortured him into insanity; after all both Theo's father and grandfather were Death Eaters and both had perished two nights ago.

Maybe this was for the best. He deeply loved his mother and sister and would protect them from harm. He had thought that it would be impossible to be Potter's acquaintance because of his father, but now, he was free to form his own political connections. He knew without a doubt that Potter would be entering the political circle himself. Maybe he could try a tentative friendship with Potter and see how it goes. With him and his mother in charge, they would transform the Ancient and Noble House of Nott into something more than the Dark Lord's political puppet family.

Unknown to Nott, this decision was the beginning of a chain reaction which Harry had foreseen and described to Dumbledore long ago. Once he knocked the Light and Dark Kings out of the board, Hadrian Potter would unify both factions, becoming their King and was thus loved by all. Maybe Harry really should have taken Divination after all.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry and Daphne calmly entered the Wizengamot chambers and sat on the chairs reserved for the Plaintiff as they watched various other members of the Wizengamot ascend to their chairs. He also noticed a few empty chairs, belonging no doubt the families wiped out during the battle with Voldemort. The Ancient and Noble House of Lestrange was essentially extinct because Rodolphus and Rabastan's father was killed during the fight as well. So was the Noble House of Selwyn, while there was no one to represent the Noble House of Malfoy since both Lucius and Narcissa were dead, and Draco hadn't appointed a Regent yet. He saw Lady Nott acknowledge him, so he nodded back as well, wondering why the woman wasn't angry about the fact that he had killed her husband.

There were many people in the visitor's gallery today, no doubt to prove as witnesses in case they were needed. Chief Witch Lady Acton ascended and took her place at the biggest chair, overlooking the others. A pale looking Cornelius Fudge sat on the chair to the left of the Chief Witch, while Amelia Black took her place to the right of the Chief Witch, signifying that she was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Chief Witch Acton banged her gavel and said, "The Emergency session of the Wizengamot on the 26th of June, 1995 is being called into session for the criminal trial of one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Several dicta quills of the Wizengamot and the press started writing and people could see the crystal of the Magical Daily News being suspended in mid-air.

"Bring in the accused" said Amelia.

Two Aurors brought in Albus Dumbledore who walked in as if he owned the place. Harry mentally smirked, as Dumbledore didn't remember most of their conversation two nights ago, so he had no idea about being injected with Malaclaw venom or about Harry taking the Felix Felicis. Unfortunately, Dumbledore's entrance wasn't as graceful as he hoped as he tripped over his shoes and fell down on his face painfully. The hall was deathly silent as none of them laughed as the Aurors helped him up and placed him on the chair, the chains binding him in place. Dumbledore thought the chains were particularly tight.

"Albus Percival Wilfric Brian Dumbledore" said Lady Acton. "You have been brought before the Wizengamot as you have been accused of – attempted murder of Lord Sirius Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black; attempted murder of Lord Cyrus Greengrass, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass; attempted murder of Lord Hadrian Potter and Lady Daphne Greengrass, Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin. You have further been accused of facilitating in the murder of Lord James and Lady Lily Potter, along with the permanent incapacitation of Lord Frank and Lady Alice Longbottom, Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. You have also been accused of line-theft in regards to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. How do you plead?" she said.

" _Not_ guilty of all charges" said Dumbledore, with a lot of effort. Nobody saw Harry smirk slightly.

"Very well" said the Chief Witch. "Lady Black, please proceed with your case."

Amelia spent the next one hour detailing everything Harry had uncovered and giving evidence for each. She proved that Sybill Trelawney had indeed given the prophecy regarding the Dark Lord Voldemort and Hadrian Potter, but it had been in Dumbledore's office, and not in the Hog's Head as Dumbledore claimed. Aberforth was only too happy to testify to that. Harry had spoken to Aberforth and pleaded with the man to testify about the true nature of Albus to the public, so after much convincing, the man had agreed, so it began the tale of how Albus Dumbledore had collaborated with Gellert Grindelwald, essentially coining the phrase 'For the Greater Good', and how it was Albus's plans which enabled Grindelwald to take over the world as he did.

People were in shock at that, and only then did people wonder and ask why Dumbledore had let thousands of witches and wizards be killed for more than twenty years until he decided to grace his presence to defeat Grindelwald.

Amelia had also had her Aurors sweep through Dumbledore's office. And that's where they struck gold. There were treasures and trinkets belonging to several families which Dumbledore had taken during the war, and Harry was happy to provide evidence to all that was taken from the Potter family as well, until he recovered it later. All this proved that he deliberately painted a target on the backs of the Potter and Longbottom families.

Amelia had then shown Harry's oath sworn Pensieve memory which showed the incident which took place after he had returned to Hogwarts. It clearly showed Dumbledore firing the curses at Sirius and Cyrus, which grievously injured them. When they came to the part of Daphne transforming into a tigress, Fudge decided to use this opportunity to convict Harry and Daphne.

"There!" said Fudge. "The two of them are unregistered Animagi! They should be arrested and sent to Azkaban for breaking the law!" he shouted.

There was mass outrage as many of them called Fudge a traitor and a Death Eater until finally, Chief Witch Acton let out a cannon blast from her wand. But before she could say anything, Amelia spoke up.

"Chief Witch, if I may?" said Amelia.

"Of course, Lady Black" she said with a frown.

"These are the Animagus Registration Certificates of Hadrian Potter and Daphne Greengrass, given to me by the office of the International Confederation of Wizards. As you can see, they're been registered for more than a year" she said, looking at the pale face of Fudge with narrowed eyes.

"Here you are, Minister" said Lady Acton coldly. "You can check it yourself. Or do you want me to arrange a meeting with the office of the ICW to check its veracity?"

"No" whimpered Fudge. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Mr Dumbledore" said Lady Acton. "We have just proved that you have indeed committed all those crimes you were accused of and more. Do you have anything to say in your defence?"

"Harry has to be stopped" said Dumbledore firmly. "He has grown too powerful -"

"More powerful that you wanted him to be, you mean" said Sirius sneering. "You just couldn't handle someone derailing your plans, could you Albus? Is that why you tried to kill him?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong" said a woman from the portion of the elected representatives. "But did I hear you right when you said that you wanted to redeem You-Kn, Tom Riddle and his Death Eaters?" she asked incredulously.

"They should have been given a second chance" said Dumbledore stiffly. "But Harry killed them all before they could repent for their actions. He -"

"You're talking about those murdering, psychotic bastards" shouted Samantha Hudson, a woman who was elected to the Wizengamot for the second time. "They killed innocent people and children without remorse and you wanted to give them a second chance? What about their victims? Can they be given a second chance? Can you bring back my husband, Dumbledore?"

"Or my son and daughter-in-law?" snapped Lady Augusta Longbottom. "I completely agree. Do you think people like Bellatrix Lestrange can be reformed? Are you insane, Dumbledore? They're the worst people one can imagine, with no remorse in their hearts what so ever and you expect us to forgive them all?" she shouted.

"What is the real reason you want Lord Potter dead?" asked Cyrus Greengrass.

Dumbledore struggled but answered. "Harry is the last of the very famous Peverell family as the last descendant of Ignotus Peverell married into the Potter family. They have items belonging to the Peverells that I have been searching for years. I don't ever want him to even accidently gain access to Peverell family magic, gaining him their Lordship. It should be mine. They wouldn't work for me unless the Potter/Peverell family is extinct, and I can finally gain access to their vast array of books and instruments and be remembered as the greatest wizard in history. For all that to happen, Harry has to die."

People were in shock, as the Peverell family connection was something that was forgotten by the public and later hidden by the Potters. Harry didn't really understand why they had hidden it, but one of the portraits at Potter Castle had said that the Peverell name carries too much history and it was better that no one knew about it in order to protect the family members from undesirables. He found out that it was the Peverell family connection that was one of the causes for the Potter Massacre. It was then that Harry made the connection between the Peverells and the Tale of the Three Brothers, and Dumbledore's obsession with his cloak. It was one of the Deathly Hallows. He frowned slightly when he saw the reactions of the members and the audience. Should he have hidden that too? After a moment, Harry mentally shrugged; after all, it had been nearly two hundred years since the Potter Massacre. Any and all people who had been involved were dead anyway, so it didn't matter if they knew about the Peverells.

"Let me get this straight" said another elected man. "You _wanted_ You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters to start another war and take over the country?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes" said Dumbledore, unable to help himself. The after effects of the strong dose of Veritaserum, coupled with all the tinkering Harry had done to his brain, made Dumbledore answer most of the questions as honestly as possible. He tried to fight the effects, but there were other factors involved as well, which prevented him from not telling the truth. Luck may not be an end, but it certainly was a means to an end.

"You're insane" said the man, shaking his head. "I shudder to think what would have happened if you had actually supported and helped Grindelwald."

"Chief Witch if I may?" asked Daphne softly, standing up. Everyone looked at her in surprise, as they never expected her to say anything. Harry too was curious what his fiancée would say as well.

Lady Acton looked at her in surprise but nodded. "The Chair recognises Daphne Greengrass, Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin" she said.

Daphne walked to the middle of the Wizengamot chamber with a grace that very few possessed. She had the feminine charm but was also able to show that she was far more than that.

"Honoured members of the Wizengamot" she began, her voice magically enhanced by the magic in the room, and the crystal moved in front of her. She was wearing impeccable robes of black and a deep shade of purple, which complemented with Harry's as well. They always chose to dress in same colours for such occasions, to show their unity. The way she held herself, her posture, her blue eyes shimmering with sustained magical power and her soft voice made her the epitome 'woman of substance'.

"I do not stand here today as the daughter of Lord Greengrass or as the Lady of House Potter. I stand here today, as the fiancée of Hadrian Potter, a fifteen-year-old boy. I met Harry nearly four years ago, and we got engaged just four months later due to a marriage contract between House Potter and House Greengrass. Since then, I've spent nearly all my time with him, as both Harry and I are not exactly social people. In that time, I've grown to admire who he is as a person, and he taught me that I should never let anything affect me and to always get back up. Albus Dumbledore painted a target on James and Lily Potter and their infant son Hadrian. He painted a target on Frank and Alice Longbottom and their infant son Neville. He specifically set a trap and made Death Eater Severus Snape listen to a part of the prophecy that foretold the death of the Dark Lord at the hands of one of the two boys. This ensured that my fiancé was orphaned when he was a one-year-old baby. After that night, he took the recently orphaned infant, and instead of giving him to his godmother Alice Longbottom as was specified in the Potter Will, he instead placed the infant on a doorstep in the middle of a November night in a muggle neighbourhood. Did he even think about the fact that Harry could have been kidnapped by someone, could have be mauled by stray dogs or could have died of the cold as well? No. He happily placed him on the doorstep of magic-hating bigots who did everything possible to make Harry's life there miserable. He didn't even have the decency to ask if the Dursleys wanted to take care of him; he just dumped the baby on the doorstep. What's more, he took the blood of the recently orphaned baby, thus committing line theft and used it to power illegal blood wards around that muggle home and used the rest to power tracking and monitoring devices."

"For the next few weeks, my fiancé struggled as he cried for his mother and father. A fifteen-month-old baby was starved and forced into a dark and enclosed cupboard and stored with filthy shoes, while the rest of the country celebrated the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort at the hands of the Boy Who Lived. Did anyone care about the fate of that poor infant? Did anyone realise that he was hit by an _Avada Kedavra_ curse and survived, and that might have adverse effects on his body and mind? No one cared about him while he starved and cried for his mother. No one cared when he was beaten up for accidental magic. No one cared when he nearly died at the hands of his so-called relatives."

"Where was Albus Dumbledore during all this time? I really wonder what would have happened to Harry had he been any other orphan, not having as many resources as he did later on when he discovered about the true nature of the Potter family. Or what if he had not realised the true extent of his wealth? Would he have grown up on the streets? He is so famous that people all over the world know his name, but he could have easily ended up sleeping next to the sewers had his relatives thrown him out due to his freakishness, as they called it."

"Albus Dumbledore continued to torment him in the years to come at Hogwarts, beat the incident with the Chamber of Secrets or with the Goblet of Fire. He calls Harry dark, but he doesn't see the darkness of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. What kind of a man is he? Is this the man everyone has looked up to for the past century? How blind have we all been to have overlooked this selfish, delusional and insane megalomaniac and hail him as our greatest leader? Have we truly fallen so much?"

"Harry was kidnapped at the end of the third task and was used in a ritual that helped Voldemort gain his body back. He killed Voldemort, and in the process, stopped another war which would have easily wiped us all out. Can you imagine what would have happened if Voldemort had been left alive? Innocent people could have been killed; he would have turned us all into his slaves, just to do his bidding. What kind of life is that? And it was such a life that Dumbledore was trying to endorse, by trying to kill my fiancé and redeem Voldemort in the process. How do you redeem a person who has absolutely no sense of remorse?"

"When Albus Dumbledore attacked us, I declared an Honour Duel for all that he has done to the Potter family. My question is, what have you all done for a family that has sacrificed so much for this country? Harry has trained extensively to protect you all, without you even knowing about it. He sleeps for three hours a day and gets up again to study and train. He has been doing this since he was seven years old. You forgot him when he was a baby and he suffered as a result. Are you going to do the same again? I don't believe so. I believe that all of you know in your hearts how much Hadrian Potter deserves justice. Please, give him and his family justice by sentencing Albus Dumbledore for his crimes. Let my fiancé finally visit his parents' grave with a feeling that their murderers have been captured and punishment handed out. Members of the Wizengamot, I appeal to you to finally give my fiancé the peace of mind he has never had all these years. Let justice finally be served. Thank you."

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 50**

 **An old man smiled from his seat on the Wizengamot. So, the Potters were descendants of** ** _the_** **Ignotus Peverell? He had to confirm this vital piece of information with the others. If he was right, they had a new lead; and a new target.** ** _The wand, the stone, the cloak . . ._**

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** Let me begin by explaining about Daphne's character. You might say that she doesn't act like a fifteen-year-old girl and you're right. But tell me, how many fifteen-year-olds do you find who are engaged at the age of eleven? She spends nearly all her time with Harry, who definitely acts more mature than his age. We all have that one friend who is more mature than the rest of us. Harry's abuse turned him so, and spending so much time with another mentally matured person makes you think the same way. That's why Daphne behaves in a mature fashion. It happens; spend time with idiots, you, unfortunately, think like an idiot. Spend more time with intelligent people, your wavelength changes. Think about your transition from High school to college and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Anyway, as you can see from the preview, this story isn't over. Voldemort and Dumbledore are only one-half of the story. Another plot will emerge as Harry finishes his education. He will make new friends and enemies. A silent group is operating in the shadows without his knowledge and to top it all, he still has his destiny as Lightning Lord to fulfil. I hope you enjoyed it.

Cheers!


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"Members of the Wizengamot, I appeal to you to finally give my fiancé the peace of mind he has never had. Let justice finally be served. Thank you."

There was a momentary silence after Daphne finished her speech, but soon thunderous applause filled the chamber. Daphne bowed to them and calmly walked back to her seat. She looked at Harry who had tears in his eyes as he grabbed her in a tight hug, unable to convey his gratitude in words. With his very sharp eyes, Harry could see that many of the members had tears flowing down their faces; Sirius was openly crying while Cyrus was beaming with pride at his daughter.

"Thank you for that speech, Lady Potter" said Chief Witch Acton as she cleared her throat. "Damn, what are those kids made of? They really are a power couple; hard to believe they're only fifteen. Remind me to talk to Elizabeth Greengrass on how to raise children" she muttered, but it could be heard all over the room, making people chuckle.

"Albus Dumbledore" boomed Lady Acton. "You have been found guilty of all charges. I would like to ask the members of the Wizengamot to suggest a suitable punishment" she said.

The chamber was quiet for several seconds until finally one of the members said quietly "Give him the Dementor's kiss. He's too dangerous to be left alive. Not after what he's done. He's not the person we all thought he was. He deserves it for being the cause of so much misery and destruction. He is no better than Tom Riddle."

Many others started muttering in agreement so the Chief Witch said, "Let's take a vote; all those in favour of the Dementor's kiss?"

More than three-quarters of the members lit their wands. This phenomenon would never have been possible without Daphne, so Harry softly squeezed her hand in thanks. Had she not spoken so passionately in favour of her fiancé, Dumbledore would probably have been sentenced to Azkaban for a few years. And Harry did not want the man alive to cause more problems for him in the future. He wanted this story of his life to finally come to an end so that he could concentrate on more important things. Voldemort and Dumbledore, after all, weren't part of his final plans for the future of the Magical World. They were only a hindrance, and he had taken care of them.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" she said. "You are hereby convicted of all the charges you have been accused of, for which you will be executed by the Dementor's kiss. Aurors, take him away."

"You can't do this!" shouted Dumbledore, his eyes blazing with fury. "I'm Albus Dumbledore! Everything I do is for the Greater Good!"

"You do it all for _your_ greater good, Albus" said Harry softly. "Not for the greater good of the magical world. Your greater good nearly brought about our destruction."

The Aurors dragged a reluctant Dumbledore out of the chamber. Many of them sat down and buried their face in their hands, as they had all looked up to Dumbledore once, and now . . . they couldn't believe that they could have been so blind to what he really was.

"If there is nothing more, I would like to end today's session" said Chief Witch Acton.

"Actually Chief Witch, there is one more thing" said Sirius, getting up.

"Go ahead, Lord Black" she said.

"The Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Black and Gryffindor call for a vote of no-confidence in Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge" said Sirius.

"The motion is seconded by the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Greengrass and Slytherin" said Cyrus.

There was a loud noise in the chamber as many people agreed with them. Fudge knew that this was the end of his career since there was no stopping the vote.

"Let's take a vote" boomed Lady Acton. "All those in favour of the motion of no-confidence raised by Lord Black against Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge?"

It was unanimous, as all the members lit their wands, signifying that they wanted nothing to do with Fudge anymore.

"The motion passes. Cornelius Fudge, you are hereby removed from your position as Minister of Magic of Magical Britain and Ireland. As per the law, I will be acting as the head of the government until the new Minister can be elected. This session hereby comes to a close" said Chief Witch Acton, banging her gavel.

Everyone quickly got up and left, as no one was in a mood to talk. There were too many volatile emotions in the chamber, so people headed home at once.

Harry immediately went forward and engulfed Sirius and Amelia in a tight hug, just as Daphne hugged her father.

"I'm so incredibly proud of you, Daphne" said Cyrus.

"Thanks, Daddy" muttered Daphne. "It means a lot to me."

Daphne then kissed Harry goodbye and headed home with her father, while Sirius and Harry flooed to Black Manor. They both had something to do that evening.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

An old man smiled from his seat on the Wizengamot. So, the Potters were descendants of _the_ Ignotus Peverell? He had to confirm this vital piece of information with the others. If he was right, they had a new lead; and a new target. _The wand, the stone, the cloak . . ._ He had no idea that Dumbledore too had been searching for the Hallows but he wasn't too surprised; there were others who were on this quest as well. He and his friends weren't like that idiot Xeno Lovegood; that man didn't really care about possessing the Hallows, but he did. Their group had been formed years ago to search for the Hallows. They would all have done it individually of course, but it was better if they had strength in numbers. The reason the quest of the Deathly Hallows failed for so many people is because all of them searched for the devices in secret. But not him as he had a few supporters to help him. Once they found the Hallows, they all knew what to happen to each other, but for now, they were in an alliance. But if Potter really was the last of the Peverell line, it would be very difficult getting their hands on him, especially if Dumbledore himself suspected the boy of having at least one of the Hallows; why else would Dumbledore try so hard unless he knew something? The boy was ridiculously powerful, both magically and politically. They would have to move carefully and that would take time, but he wasn't concerned. He had waited for all these decades, another one shouldn't matter. He would emerge victorious in the end. _The Master of Death. . ._

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was nearly sundown when two men Apparated in the middle of the high street in Godric's Hollow. They slowly walked down the road which would lead to the graveyard, emotions running high in both their minds.

"Look" said Sirius. Harry looked at the war memorial. It was a statue of three people – a man, a woman and a baby. He never thought that there was a memorial built for them here.

"Come on" muttered Harry quietly and they continued to the graveyard. They entered it, and Sirius led him to the place Harry had never had the courage to go, until now.

"Wait" said Harry suddenly on their way to James and Lily's grave. "What is that?" asked Harry, looking at a very old grave. He bent forward with his lit wand, looking at the markings on the stone.

 _Ignotus Peverell_

"He's my ancestor" said Harry quietly. "Okay, let's go."

Sirius led him to a marble grave. The words were shining on the stone, making it easy to read under the dying sunlight. Harry walked close to the headstone and sank to his knees. For a few seconds, he didn't say anything, until finally, the tears came. Sirius immediately knelt beside his godson, hugging him tightly, as Harry cried on his shoulder.

"Hey mum, hey dad" said Harry in a shaky voice. "It's me, Harry. I'm sorry I couldn't come visit you before, but I'm here now. I want you to know that all the people responsible for your deaths have been dealt with. I hope that makes you happy."

Gripping Sirius's hand tighter, he continued. "I hope you two are proud of me. I've worked really hard to get where I am right now. Dad, I think you would be happy that I made it to the Ravenclaw Quidditch team! I'm the seeker, and I've never failed to win us a match. Sirius keeps saying that I would have been the bane of your existence were you still the Gryffindor Chaser" he said, chuckling lightly.

"I'm doing well in school as well, Mum. I'm the top student, just like you were. Professor Slughorn can't help but say how much I've inherited your talent in Potions, and I think he's right. You really were a genius, mum, and I'm so proud to have been born as your son."

Harry hastily wiped the tears from his eyes. "You both would be happy to know that I have a girl in my life as well. Her name is Daphne Greengrass, and you have loved her, mum. Dad, if you had seen her, I know you would have been so proud of me. She's so incredibly beautiful, and you couldn't have resisted showing off saying that your son is engaged to her. She has a mean temper, dad, just like mum did. It's something we both have to deal with, huh?" he asked, as he tried to smile.

After several seconds of silence, he began crying again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what happened to you. You both willingly sacrificed your lives for me, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. But I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble. I'm sorry for not having the chance to be at your funeral and carry out my duties as your son" he wailed, while Sirius hugged him tightly. "But I want you guys to know how much I love you. I think of you both every day, and I am so proud and honoured to have been born as your son. I won't let you down. I love you mum, dad, and I'll never forget how much you loved me too."

After a few minutes, Harry calmed down. Once done, Sirius helped him up.

"Do you want to visit the house as well?" he asked.

"No" said Harry stiffly. "I know that it has been turned into a monument to my parents, but I have other plans. I'll get the best wizarding architects and designers to renovate the house and turn it into a monument dedicated to all the victims of the Voldemort war. There are several more that have to be remembered besides my parents. I'll also ensure that people who visit the place know the full history of the war. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat their mistakes and I won't let the magical world be destroyed."

Sirius nodded approvingly, but couldn't help but smile as well. "A war memorial, huh? Always looking for tax-cuts, aren't you Harry?"

Harry smiled slightly. "Just an added bonus, Padfoot"

"Ready?" asked Sirius.

"Yes" said Harry, his stony expression back in place. He flicked his wand to his hand and waved it over the grave. The marble stone split open, revealing a large coffin built for two. Harry walked to it and muttered ' _Portus'._ The coffin flashed and disappeared to Potter Castle. He wasn't going to let his parents' bodies remain in such an open place where people could easily defile them. He would do his duty and give them a proper burial at the family graveyard. With a flick of his wand, the marble grave slid back into place.

With twin cracks, both men Disapparated from Godric's Hollow.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

It was past sundown, but the faint light from the sky could still be seen. Sirius and Amelia Black and all the Greengrasses were present in the Potter family graveyard, right in front of a large oak tree. All the elves of the Potter family were present as well, as Harry levitated the coffin and placed it at the base of the tree. With a flick of his wand, a large hole appeared in the ground, and Harry levitated the coffin inside. Harry walked around the grave slowly, following the ancient magical tradition of a funeral and finally conjured fire at the base of the grave.

They all waited, and suddenly, a white fire erupted around the coffin, creating a beautiful marble tomb. Harry waited for a few seconds and walked around the grave again and conjured water, making it fall on the marble surface, finishing the ritual. He again flicked his wand at the tombstone. Everyone saw the words which Harry had engraved upon it.

 _James Charlus Potter_

 _Lily Jasmine Potter nee Slytherin_

 _Live your life to the fullest and love your family like there is no tomorrow._

 _'_ _Natus Vincere'_

They all lit their wands, and Harry conjured ice sculptures on either side of the tomb – a stag and a doe. With another flick, golden stars started falling on the tomb.

The adults all conjured flowers and put them on the tomb. Daphne conjured a whole bunch of white lilies and spread them all over the tomb.

"Thank you all for coming" muttered Harry. "Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" he asked. The others all realised that he wanted to be alone, so they quietly. But Harry's touched Daphne's hand, asking her to stay. Her parents nodded to her and left, leaving the couple behind.

They stayed there for fifteen minutes, neither saying a word to each other as they observed silence. Once done, Harry breathed deeply and nodded. He turned to Daphne who gave him a tender kiss and they both headed back into the castle.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry was sitting in his study, looking at the three objects in front of him. After reviewing Dumbledore's memories and conforming with many old Potter journals and portraits, he had come to the conclusion that these three really are the Deathly Hallows. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Daphne enter the study. She frowned when she saw him so deep in thought and wondered what was bothering him. She went over and sat on his lap.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Do you know the Tale of the Three Brothers?" asked Harry.

"Of course" said Daphne in bewilderment. "Who doesn't? My mum read it to me when I was a child."

Harry nodded slowly as he tightened his grip on her waist. "Look at the objects on the table. What do you see?" he asked quietly.

Daphne turned and frowned. "I see a wand, a stone, and" she paused, trying to understand what was going on. Was he implying what she thought he was implying? "And an invisibility cloak" she whispered. "Harry, that's a children's story. What does you cloak have to do with that?"

"This cloak is no ordinary invisibility cloak" explained Harry. "It was brought into the family by Aradia Peverell, and it was given to her by her ancestor, Ignotus Peverell. It has been in use for centuries and yet it works perfectly; too perfectly, in fact."

"And this" said Harry, picking up the wand. "is the fabled Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny or the Deathstick. It is considered to be the most powerful wand ever in existence, crafted by Death himself. I won it by defeating its previous master, Albus Dumbledore. I'm now the master of the Elder Wand. And this" said Harry picking up the stone. "is the Resurrection Stone, said to communicate with the dead. From what I can make out, it is also the Peverell family ring, which was passed on to the Gaunts from Cadmus Peverell. Together, they create the Deathly Hallows, and the one who possesses all of them is said to be the Master of Death."

"Passed on to the Gaunts?" asked Daphne in surprise. "Then why didn't they ever claim the Peverell Lordship?"

"No doubt they tried" said Harry. "But I presume that they couldn't access the family magic, even though they had access to the ring. You know how complicated it is. Besides, no one in the entire country wanted to interact with that family seeing how unstable they were. Inbreeding was a real problem as they tended to marry their own cousins for centuries until they came down to marrying their own siblings" said Harry with a shudder. "Really, why do you have to inter-marry like that? There are plenty of other pureblood witches and wizards to choose from!"

"But what does it have to do with the Deathly Hallows?" asked Daphne. "Maybe it really is a children's story, Harry. Maybe they were created by the Peverells and not by Death. That's possible isn't it?"

"Maybe" said Harry slowly. He looked at her and cupped her face, relishing the soft, warm skin under his fingers. "But what if the three objects together do have something to do with being the Master of Death? What if they can be used to gain immortality? That's why I don't want them, Daphne. What is the point of immortality if I don't have you to share it with? I'd rather live a normal 150 years with you rather than spend the rest of my immortal life alone. I don't want it. I don't need it. As long as I have you by my side, I'm happy and content. I don't want to be immortal" said Harry, kissing her softly.

Just then, the three objects in front of them started glowing. The Deathly Hallows had never been united, even by the Peverell brothers. They were created to maintain balance in the world and remove stagnation. The Peverell brothers weren't given the items by Death himself, but it was the Magic of Death which made the brothers' inventions what they were – The Deathly Hallows. Whenever there were chaos and disorder, Magic would use it as a means to create balance. The Deathly Hallows were designed to aid Magic in that quest. The Elder wand was a double edged blade in that it could be a terrible weapon used for victory, but it caused the death of its master. It was used to fight bloody wars which would lead the world into a new era, and remove unsavoury leaders who possessed the wand. The Resurrection stone was a trap, designed to weed out those who were utterly selfish and harmful to the society by causing the users to go insane after its use. The Invisibility Cloak was a tool used to maintain a balance between the two. Since all three had different purposes, none of them had ever been allowed to unite; until now. Here was a boy who so utterly loved his fiancée that he didn't care for immortality. Here was a girl who would go to the ends of the Earth to make her fiancé happy. If the Lightning Lord was to succeed in his destiny, he would without a doubt need his lady by his side. The Magic of Death realised that they were a package deal. They were special. Magic itself had created a bond between them which could not be broken.

Harry and Daphne watched in shock as the three devices floated in the air, all emitting a gold aura. The wand stood in attention; the stone expanded until it was as nearly long as the wand; the cloak folded itself in a triangular shape and covered the wand and stone from behind, forming the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. Harry and Daphne stood up in awe, wondering what was going on. Suddenly, the aura expanded and the symbol duplicated itself, creating two of the symbols half the original size. Each of them entered the bodies of the couple standing there.

Harry and Daphne found themselves frozen and unable to move as they watched the symbol merge with them. After what felt like an eternity, a grey and silver aura surrounded them as well, and Harry felt this uncommon urge to speak.

"I, Hadrian James Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin, scion of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell, do solemnly swear by wearing this ring, to uphold the values and traditions of my family. As Lord Peverell, I swear to bring back my family honour and strive for the betterment of my magical brethren. This I swear, so mote it be!"

"I, Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass, Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin, do solemnly swear by wearing this ring to uphold the values and traditions of the Peverell family. As Lady Peverell, I swear to do my utmost best to love and cherish my future husband and our family and bring glory to the House of Peverell. This I swear, so mote it be!"

The aura seeped into their skin, and suddenly, both of them fainted on the floor. The Deathly Hallows disappeared, now merged with their very souls. A silver ring with a black diamond with the crest of a thestral appeared on the fingers of Harry and Daphne, signifying their position as Lord and Lady Peverell.

They were now the Masters of Death. They were both immortal until the two of them and Magic decided otherwise.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Twenty minutes later, Daphne woke up with a groan. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. She turned to her right and saw Harry lying on the floor, unconscious. Her eyes went wide when she saw that he wasn't breathing.

"Harry! Harry, wake up" she said in a panicked voice. She lifted his hand and touched his wrist to find a pulse. Nothing!

But to her immense shock, Harry also woke up with a groan. "Harry!" exclaimed Daphne as she hugged him tightly.

"Whoa there, tigress" said Harry as he tried to get up. "What happened?"

"I don't know" said Daphne, still hugging him. "I woke up and saw that you didn't have a pulse, and I thought you were dead."

Harry chuckled. "Trust me, Daphne, I'm not dead. If it makes you feel better, I'll check for a pulse."

He touched his wrist, and to his surprise, the veins that could usually be seen were missing. He tried to feel his pulse, but there was nothing!

"You're right" muttered Harry. "I can't feel a pulse. Some me yours" he said, taking Daphne's hand as well. He saw that her veins visible on the wrist had disappeared as well and he couldn't feel her pulse either. In fact, both of them felt faint pain from everywhere in their body, and sparks emanated from their fingertips as well. They didn't know it, but pure magic was churning in their bodies itself.

"What's going on?" asked Daphne.

Harry recalled what had happened before they fainted. Indeed, he looked at his right middle finger and spotted the Peverell family ring.

"I think we just became the Masters of Death and gained the Peverell Lordship in the process" he said softly.

"But how is that even possible?" asked Daphne incredulously. "According to legend, there can be only one Master of Death. How can we both be immortal?"

Harry thought about it for a few minutes. "Remember what Aquila said when he met you?" he asked slowly, looking at Daphne. "About you forming a minor bond with him? He said that it started during the Yule Holidays of our first year. Maybe if we review what happened, we can find out more about this."

With that, they both immediately got up as Harry took out a Pensieve. He concentrated on the memory of the time he had spoken to Daphne in the grounds of Greengrass Manor and removed it. They dived into the memory. About ten minutes later, they were both sitting in comfortable armchairs in the study, starting at each other in shock.

"I never knew that I made an Unbreakable Vow that day" whispered Daphne.

"This is the reason you're the Master of Death as well" said Harry. "You, without knowing that you were doing it, swore on your magic that you would never leave my side and never leave me alone, ever. Somehow, it created a bond between us. It explains our very intimate bond with each other, doesn't it?"

Daphne nodded and went over to sit on his lap. "What does this mean for us?" she asked nervously.

Harry idly played with her hair for a few minutes. "I have absolutely no idea, but it is better if we never mention this to anyone else. Merlin knows what could happen if people were to realise that we really are immortal and the Masters of Death. We'll just have to keep it quiet. Maybe we'll figure out how it affects us in the coming days."

"You're right" said Daphne. "You'll have to go back to Wizengamot Administration Services for the Peverell Lordship again" she said after a few minutes.

"Hmm" said Harry, as he kissed her neck. "Come on" he said gruffly. He pulled her along until they reached the master bedroom. Once they were in, Harry shut the door and pinned Daphne against the wall and kissed her hard and deep.

Daphne gasped for breath and looked at her fiancé's eyes which were filled with primal need and lust. Today had been very tiring and emotional for them, with her bringing up the multiple marriages in the morning, Dumbledore's trial where he was sentenced to the Dementor's kiss, his parents' funeral and now the Master of Death business. She could understand his frustration, and she wanted a release too.

They kissed passionately until they stumbled and fell on top of the large bed. Harry snarled at the too many layers of clothing, but in a second, it disappeared, leaving them both naked. They were too caught up with their activity to notice that it was wandless magic and that both their magical powers had grown exponentially.

"You are so damn sexy" growled Harry as he kissed her stomach, and went back to kissing her neck. Daphne moaned as he inserted himself into her and started thrusting slowly.

They never emerged from the room until late next morning.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

All over Magical Britain, there was turmoil. Nearly everyone had witnessed the trial of Albus Dumbledore and people were shocked that the man they all thought to be as great as Merlin was actually a two-faced bastard. Most were of the opinion that it was indeed dangerous for Dumbledore to be left alive and it was a good decision. But some, however, felt differently.

"Look at this Arthur! I can't believe how far we have fallen" screeched Molly Weasley, looking at the Magical Daily newspaper.

The Burrow was unusually quiet as they were the only ones at home. Percy had quickly moved out, not wanting to stay with his overbearing mother longer than necessary. The others were still at Hogwarts. "What is it, Molly dear?" asked Arthur, looking tired.

"They've sentenced Dumbledore to the Dementor's kiss!" screeched Molly. "They can't do this! He is the greatest wizard that has ever lived! How dare they do this to him?"

"I know, Molly" said Arthur morosely. "I was there at the Ministry when it happened and the news spread like fiendfyre once the verdict was given. Nobody expected something like that and frankly, everyone believes that the verdict was just, especially after Daphne Greengrass' speech in front of the entire Wizengamot, highlighting Dumbledore's crimes against the Potter family in particular. After that, they all rolled over and succumbed to her demands."

"Daphne Greengrass" snarled Molly. Oh, how she _utterly_ hated that girl. Molly had made such elaborate plans to ensnare the Boy Who Lived so that he could get married to Ginny. But that's when the Slytherin bitch decided to butt in, demolishing all her plans. She _knew_ that the Greengrasses were evil; they were followers of You-Know-Who! Dumbledore said so! He said that it was imperative that Harry marries Ginny. She had convinced her daughter to profess her love to Harry, but he had rejected her. He had rejected Ginny, saying that he was in love with his _fiancée_! Ginny had told her that she had stopped persisting after Daphne Greengrass had threatened her. The nerve of that girl; how dare she threaten the daughter of Molly Weasley? But she wasn't going to give up; she would have to talk to Ginny about it. But for now . . .

"Let's see how she reacts once I'm done with her" snarled Molly. "I'll send that Greengrass girl a howler she would never forget. That will make her reconsider what they're doing to poor Albus. Oh, she's going to get it from me."

Arthur's eyes went wide. If Molly did something stupid, he was surely not going to survive the debacle. The Weasleys were already considered blood traitors because his mother Cedrella Black had married Septimus Weasley who was from a very poor family and a known muggle lover against her parents' express wishes and knowledge and had thus been disowned by the Black family, branding her and her children as blood traitors. He wasn't going to sacrifice the little good image he had built over the years because of his wife's anger.

"Molly! Stop!" said Arthur, going in front of the cabinet where the howler parchment was stored. "Don't do this! Think about the repercussions of your actions!"

"What nonsense, Arthur" said Molly dismissively. "What can Greengrass do to me? She's only a girl, and as if -"

"Molly, are you forgetting who she is?" asked Arthur exasperated. "Daphne Greengrass is the eldest daughter of Lord Cyrus and Lady Elizabeth Greengrass of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, a family very influential in the Wizengamot. Daphne Greengrass is the Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin! Everyone knows now that Hadrian Potter appeared at the Ministry and the Department of Mysteries and Wizengamot Administration Services both have accepted his claim of being Lord Gryffindor and Lord Slytherin, and if what Dumbledore said yesterday is anything to go by, he might be Lord Peverell as well! Daphne Greengrass is the future wife of Hadrian Potter, the Boy Who Lived! She might only be a fifteen-year-old girl, but she is politically untouchable and is probably one of the most powerful women in the country right now, second only to Amelia Black or Chief Witch Acton. Can you imagine the repercussions if you attack her like that, especially after Hadrian Potter gave a warning two years ago after receiving such horrible mail during that Chamber of Secrets incident?"

Molly huffed but grudgingly agreed with her husband. She headed upstairs to work on a plan for Ginny. She had to find a way to make her daughter marry the Boy Who Lived! Ginny had told her that he lived in a castle and she wanted that lifestyle; if not for her at least for her daughter, damn it! She would do her best to ensure that. She was Molly Weasley. She was nothing if not stubborn.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Harry and Daphne were taking a long shower, as their normal shower turned into something more. Just after they turned off the water, the runes around the bathroom activated, and the water on their bodies disappeared, leaving them dry. That's when Daphne noticed something.

"What's this?" she asked, touching his chest, right where his heart was supposed to be. "It's the symbol of the Deathly Hallows again."

Harry frowned and looked at her as well. Just as he had suspected, there was a mark on Daphne's body as well, between her breasts. "It's tiny. You'll have to concentrate really hard to see it" said Harry.

"We still have blood in our body, don't we?" asked Daphne. Harry nodded, and to prove his point, made a light gash on his palm to show that they did indeed have blood coursing through, well, not sure if they had veins or if his heart still worked. In fact, they didn't know how their bodies operated now.

"I'm worried if this would harm us in having children" said Harry, looking worried.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Harry" said Daphne with a smirk. "Trust me, after last night and this morning, I have no doubts about that. Do you want to practice again, just to be sure?" she asked coyly as she stroked his erect penis.

"You asked for it" said Harry as he lifted her and pushed her to the wall, making Daphne laugh as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Breakfast was overrated anyway.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

Albus Dumbledore looked at the ceiling of his cell, wondering where it had all gone wrong. He was supposed to convince the Wizengamot to free him and convict Harry in his place. But why had he answered all his questions that way? He was really confused and disoriented. He vaguely felt that Harry had visited him a few days ago, but couldn't accurately describe it. What was going on?

Just then, there was a flash of lightning in front of him. He closed his eyes as the light was too bright, and when he opened them again, Hadrian Potter was standing in front of him.

"Plans didn't go as it should have, Albus?" asked Harry quietly. He pointed his wand at Dumbledore's head and removed the binding on his memories. He had not completely obliviated the man, as he wanted Dumbledore to remember what had happened when he died. Dumbledore clutched his head as memories swarmed into his mind. After more than a minute, he remembered the meeting he had with Harry a few days ago.

"Harry, what have you done?" he asked horrified as reality sunk in.

"I only ensured you got what you deserved Albus" said Harry. His face was expressionless, and so were his eyes. There was nothing more to be said, really. He had got justice for what Dumbledore had done to his family, and that was enough for Harry.

"Did you think I would let you destroy my life, just when I finally fulfilled the terms of the prophecy? Did you think I was an innocent, clueless fifteen-year-old boy who didn't know the realities of the world?" asked Harry quietly. "Sorry to break your bubble, Albus. I'm much more than that. I know exactly what the world is like, thanks to you placing me at the Dursleys all those years ago. And our world doesn't need people like you or Riddle in charge. Checkmate, Albus. You will be executed within the hour. Try for some remorse at least now. What did I ever do to you? What did my parents do to you? They willingly followed you after their school years, trusting you to lead the war effort. You were admired by millions of witches and wizards, Albus. You could have let it all go! There is no denying that you are a brilliant and very powerful wizard. You could have helped the world in so many ways, instead of being obsessed with the Hallows and trying to reform people who didn't deserve a second chance."

"What did all their victims ever do to you, Albus? Never mind all those people, did Frank and Alice Longbottom deserve the lives they have led until now? They trusted you with their lives! Don't you even feel an ounce of regret for your actions when you see the state they are in? They're insane and are basically vegetables! Why? They could have led happy lives if you hadn't painted a target on their backs, just to get to my family and as an extension, the Hallows. What has your greater good brought you now? Nothing! You are in a cell, just like Gellert Grindelwald. When will you people learn to leave those powerful devices alone? Was it worth destroying so many families just to become the Master of Death? How is it different from Voldemort who created his Horcruxes? You may not have killed all those people with your wand, Albus, but it was because of you and your obsession with destroying the Peverell family to gain the Hallows that caused this mess, not to mention trying to soothe your conscience when it came to Riddle. How could such a knowledgeable person like you not know that it is impossible to steal family magic?"

At seeing Dumbledore's expression, Harry's face hardened. "That's why you took my blood?" he asked horrified. "You were trying to access the Peverell family magic? Does my blood run in your veins? You sick, delusional old man! You have sunk to the lowest level of line-theft!"

"No, your blood doesn't run in my veins" said Dumbledore softly. "I tried to use it purge the family magic from the cloak so that it would accept me without having to kill you. But since you were destined to die anyway. . ."

Harry shook his head in disgust. "The Potter family magic rebelled against you, didn't it? It didn't allow you to even attempt to access the dormant Peverell magic. And here I thought Voldemort was bad. He was an idiot too. He was only asking for trouble with trying to mess with family magic. Had I not killed him, I would have used the Potter family magic to destroy his body. It wouldn't have killed him had there been more Horcruxes, but it definitely would have left him without a body and as a wraith. Can you imagine the arrogance of the man to take the blood of a Lord of multiple Most Ancient Houses and commit line-theft in the process? It's a violation against Old Magic! At least you knew not to inject yourself with the blood. The consequences would have been dire if you had."

There was silence for nearly forty-five minutes as Harry calmly waited, leaning against the wall. "For what it is worth," said Dumbledore softly. "I really am sorry for what I did to your parents and the Longbottoms, Harry. You're right in that they didn't deserve their fate. I thought it didn't matter as I was the only one to lead the Magical world. I really thought I was destined to be the Master of Death for the betterment of all humanity."

"Good intentions are paved on the road to hell, Albus" said Harry. "At least you feel bad for what you've done, which cannot be said for Voldemort. I cannot forgive you for the way you have destroyed my life and the lives of countless others; it is up to Magic to decide your fate. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Harry" said Dumbledore. "And good luck in your future. You're a better man than I could ever be. You truly are something special, my boy. Take care of Hogwarts for me."

Harry's eye twitched as he wanted to say that had Dumbledore truly cared about Hogwarts, he wouldn't have used the place as his personal fiefdom. But he held his tongue; the man was about to die anyway. Besides, Dumbledore still hadn't felt that he had done anything wrong. He had apologised for what had happened to the Potters and Longbottoms but didn't really feel remorse for all the deaths and hardships he had caused in trying to correct his mistakes with Riddle and becoming the Master of Death. It just didn't matter anymore. But it didn't stop him from hitting the final nail on the coffin.

"If you want to know, I'll tell you" said Harry, his back facing Dumbledore. " _I am Frank Olive_. I own and created the Magical Daily Press. I am also now the Master of Death. I merged all three of the Deathly Hallows."

With that, Harry disappeared with another flash of lightning. Dumbledore's jaw was hanging on the floor as he realised how masterfully Harry had played him. _Harry_ had been the owner of the Magical Daily this whole time? And Albus didn't even know that! Harry had executed that masterfully, not letting anyone know about it. Harry was also now the Master of Death? Albus had wanted to unite the Hallows for more than a century and now, it had been taken away from him when his goal was so close! He wanted to scream and rave, but was too weak to do so.

Albus Dumbledore lay down on the bed, as a lone tear rolled down his face as he waited for Death to come calling.

"Please forgive me, Ariana" he whispered as the dementor approached.

 **HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP**

 **AN:** And thus, we come to an end of the **PART 1** of the Harry Potter and the Lightning Lord. I have the entire story mapped out for Part 2, but I still have to work on it. In the meantime, I am working on a new story which I will upload soon.

I would like to thank you all for your amazing support during the past three months. It has been a real joy to read all your reviews and I'm glad I started writing fanfiction. I know this is usually done at the beginning, but I would like to dedicate this story to Teufel1987 and Sinyk for inspiring me with their wonderful works of art.

Colt01


	51. Chapter 51

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Thank you all for the amazing reviews! It has really encouraged me to write more stories. That being said, I did try to write Part 2, but I realised that I had made Harry way too powerful in Lightning Lord. I just could not work with it. Instead, I decided to start fresh and write a whole new story. My new story which I have uploaded, 'Saviour of Magic' will start from the first year of Hogwarts, but once Voldemort has been dealt with, I will take the story to how I wanted Part 2 of Lightning Lord to look like, only without the god-like element of Harry. This is a new story, but with a few recurring themes of Lightning Lord thrown in at specific places, nothing more.

Thank you all for your patience and I apologise for making you wait for so long. Real life can be annoying because of which I haven't been able to update my stories. Please enjoy my new story - Saviour of Magic!

Colt01


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